Cold World
by jjgp1112
Summary: Gohan is kidnapped by Raditz and against his will, is forced to work alongside him, Vegeta, and Nappa under Frieza. These are his struggles, as he's exposed to a world no child should have to experience.
1. New Life

**As usual, Dragon Ball/Z/GT ain't mine, because you would be watching this as an anime on a fansub website or a DVD if that were the case.**

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><p>The four-year old half-Saiyan tried to make sense of how he had gotten to this dark, cold planet. He remembered being kidnapped by that…Saiyan or whatever. Yeah, his uncle, Raditz. He overheard him saying something about "power levels" and "710" but was drawing a blank as to the other details. The last thing he recalled before being roughly hauled in the spaceship and being knocked out was Raditz saying-<p>

"_Kakarot isn't worth it…this boy is much stronger…"_

Son Gohan was saddened when he realized that his red top hat, with the four-star Dragon Ball on top of it was nowhere to be found. The one thing that his father could have used to find him was gone, probably dropped at the location where Raditz's spaceship was at. All Goku would find when he got there was the ball, and an empty crater. Gohan's eyes became watery as he let out a whimper, but before they developed into full-fledged tears, he was roughly backhanded by his captor.

"Enough of your crying, boy!" Raditz sneered, "I already had enough of it on your planet and I will not be dealing with it now!"

Gohan stiffened, forcing his tears back. One thing he knew was that Raditz was mean, and that he would be fully capable of carrying out any threats he made.

Raditz smirked. "Good, _nephew_." The long haired Saiyan turned around. "Now follow me, if you know what's good for you."

Gohan meekly nodded and did exactly as ordered. As he followed Raditz's lead, he looked at his surroundings. The planet was very barren, and mostly rocks and cliffs. The place they were headed to was a white dome surrounded by a couple of towers. The half-breed wasn't looking forward to wherever they were going to – if Raditz worked with these guys, they were sure to be just as mean and nasty as he was. All Gohan wanted to do was be at home with his mom and dad. Everything was so simple before, and yet now, after just one horrific day, his entire world was flipped upside down. He was stuck on a planet with a ruthless space pirate and his comrades, with absolutely nothing to help him.

Raditz pressed a button, which slid the door open. He walked into the white dome, with Gohan trailing behind him. This place resembled a laboratory, with all sorts of gadgets and computers lying around. There were men wearing armor resembling Raditz's walking about, giving Gohan harsh looks as they passed him. If Gohan wasn't so captured by fear at the moment, all of this technology would've intrigued him.

They came to a stop when Raditz found the people he was looking for. "Ah, Vegeta, Nappa, here as I expected."

His two comrades laughed as Raditz turned around to bring Gohan into clearer view. The four year old looked up at the two men before him. One was a rather large, bald man with a mustache. He was built like a tank and likely a madman on the battlefield.

But it was the other guy that really caught Gohan's attention, and caused him to shrivel in his presence. He was very short; even with his spiky, flame-like hair, he barely even made it to the bald one's shoulder. But for what he lacked in height, he more than made up with through the intensity in his eyes. They were dark, and very cold. Though a smirk was etched across his face, Gohan could see a ruthless warrior, capable of sending the toughest people in space running for their lives through his piercing gaze alone. Gohan felt a lump in his throat as he tried to hold back his fear, though he was doing a very poor job at it.

The two soldiers both laughed at the trembling toddler before them. "Oh man, this kid's gonna be a funny one!" The bald one joked.

"Allow me to introduce you to your two new comrades, boy," Raditz began, "This is Nappa," He said, pointing at the bald one, "And _this_, is Vegeta. He is our leader, and your _prince_. You are to do as he says and do it well."

Vegeta's smirk curled into a frown as he looked at the boy with fierce scrutiny. Gohan looked down at the floor, trying to avoid looking at that man's, Vegeta's, terrifying stare.

"Anyway, the kid's name is Gohan, although I'm sure you'll just refer to him as 'brat,' Vegeta," Raditz snickered.

"Hn. I just hope you were right about the boy; you _better_ not be wasting our time with nothing but a sniveling, weak little half-breed," Vegeta sneered. Vegeta's voice sent a chill down the child's spine. It was very deep, and gruff, and more importantly, _commanding_. Yet at the same time, he almost sounded bored in his tone, as if he'd rather be out causing destruction.

"I assure you, Vegeta, he has potential. If we are to hone it, he shall prove very useful," Raditz argued, choosing his words carefully and watching his tone so as not to anger the prince.

Seemingly ignoring Raditz's statement, Vegeta walked closer to Gohan, who instinctively stepped back in fear. Vegeta smirked for just a second at the sight, as seeing people fear him was something that _never_ got old. Vegeta raised his hand and pressed a button on the pink device he was wearing over his eyes. It flashed a few yellow symbols before stopping and letting out a loud beep.

"Hmm…710," Vegeta muttered.

"Correct. That's the exact power level I read as well. I figured it was a malfunction, though I couldn't be sure," Raditz explained, "Seeing as how yours is saying the same thing, I can only assume it's correct."

Vegeta nonchalantly nodded. "Indeed. Going by Kakarot's power level that you gave us, this boy should prove more useful than he would have been for our next mission."

"Yes, and unlike Kakarot, this boy has a tail. He'll be able to make a transformation in case the battle gets tough," Raditz said.

Vegeta turned to the side. "I'll go and double check the numbers on Planet Trident. Make sure the brat doesn't try anything funny."

"Yes sir," Raditz replied.

Vegeta walked down the hall. Raditz chuckled as Nappa approached Gohan with a maddening grin. "So this is Kakarot's kid, huh?" With no regard for Gohan's personal space, he grabbed the boy's yellow tunic and observed it. "His clothes look stupid," he said flatly before releasing his clothes from his grip.

Gohan resisted his urge to stick his tongue out at Nappa, although he didn't doubt that he would just laugh it off. This guy seemed a lot more…goofy, compared to the other two. Raditz walked to him, with his arms folded.

"This sure is a far cry from that spoiled, pampered life you were living before, isn't it?" he mockingly asked.

Gohan swallowed in his throat rather than replying. He was sweating profusely, the despair of being far away from home returning.

Nappa laughed. "Don't be scared, brat! You should be glad you're getting away from that stupid mudball! We're gonna make you a _real_ warrior."

Gohan forced his eyes shut. He didn't care about being a fighter. He was supposed to become a great scholar, like his mother wanted. All of this stupid fighting that he was now being forced into wasn't what he wanted at all. From his shut eyes came fresh tears. However, his weeping was abruptly cut short at the sound of a familiar rough voice.

"Cease your tears, brat! You are a Saiyan!" Vegeta commanded harshly. Absolutely making sure he wouldn't be on his bad side, Gohan did just as ordered, snapping his eyes back open. The prince turned his attention back to Nappa and Raditz. "I just checked the numbers again. Planet Trident's average power level is 12,000, though the greatest power levels go as high as _twenty_. With the Great Ape transformation, we should be able to scope out the strongest ones with ease."

Gohan felt a knot in his throat. He _did not_ want to have to kill innocent people on more faraway planets, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. These three guys were monsters, but if he didn't do as he was told, he'd be killed.

"Will you look at that, the brat's so _eager_ about his first mission!" Raditz joked.

"We still have about another week until we're sent out. Let's get the brat cleaned up and give him a set of armor so we can show him to Frieza. We'll also get a few days of training in for him," Vegeta explained.

Nappa and Raditz silently nodded as Raditz looked at Gohan cocked his head to the direction they were walking in as an instruction follow. Gohan complied and followed them to a metallic door. Vegeta pressed a button and it slid open, revealing a closet filled with replicas of the armor the three Saiyans were wearing. Raditz grabbed a set and tossed it down to the floor in front of Gohan.

"Here, wear this," he said.

Gohan nodded and picked the outfit up. The armor was black, with green shoulder and crotch guards. It came with white boots & gloves, and a black, long sleeve bodysuit. Gohan looked at Vegeta and gulped before speaking up for the first time since he arrived on this planet.

"Permission to speak, sir?" he asked nervously.

That got a laugh out of all three warriors. Gohan's cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Oh man, this kid's gonna be great!" Nappa howled.

"Kid, this isn't some formal military base. You don't have to ask for permission before talking," Vegeta said in amusement. His face once again became stern. "Now, what were you gonna say, brat?"

"Is this the formal attire around here or something?" the child asked.

"Not formal attire, idiot. It's our armor; we Saiyans got it from the Tuffles that used to live on our planet until our ancestors…_politely asked them to leave_," Vegeta said sarcastically, although the amused tone left no secret as to what he really meant. "Frieza and his men adopted it for their little organization when they discovered our planet."

Raditz nodded and pointed to the right. "Now go find a closet and change, boy."

Gohan left and found the nearest closet. Gohan let out a few whimpers as he got undressed. This situation so far was horrible. Yeah, Nappa was kind of funny, but Raditz was as much of a jerk as he was before. And Vegeta; that man frightened him. For someone so much shorter than the other two, you wouldn't think his presence was so intimidating.

About five minutes later, Gohan arrived from the closet in his new Saiyan armor. The trio all looked at him before nodding in approval. Raditz tossed a device at him that looked just like the one they were all wearing over their eyes. This one was blue, like Nappa's.

"This is a scouter. Put it on, so we can communicate with you. It also measures power levels," Raditz explained.

Gohan nodded and placed the device on his ear like the three Saiyans did. "Now, press the button to activate it," Raditz directed. Gohan did as told and a yellow light appeared at the bottom of his scouter and beeped.

"And wrap your tail around your waist. You don't want it sticking out so some fool can sneak up on you in a pathetic attempt to increase their rank," Vegeta said.

Gohan almost forgot about his tail, which was waving around behind him. He wrapped it tightly around his waist, not doubting for a second that some of these guys would do something like that.

"Good. Now we'll go to the home base to introduce you to Frieza," Raditz said.

"Um…who's this Frieza guy?" Gohan asked.

"He is our ruler," Vegeta replied. "When you're not answering to me, you're answering to _him_." He added, with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"Man, I feel sorry for the kid knowing what Frieza's gonna do to test him," Nappa said.

Gohan stiffened. "Like w-what?" he stammered.

"I won't sugarcoat it, boy. He's likely to give you a beating," Raditz flatly said, not caring how scared he was.

Gohan swallowed in his throat a little and jittered. Vegeta shook his head. "Are you sure this toddler will be useful to us, Raditz?"

"As I've said before, yes," Raditz replied with slight annoyance. Vegeta's eyes narrowed his eyes at Raditz, causing him to flinch. That was all he needed to see to know that he needed to watch his tone. "Sorry, Vegeta. But I'm sure of it; once he gets over his fear, he will become very useful."

Vegeta gave the boy another scrutinizing stare, which hadn't failed to make the boy's confidence shrink. As if trying to reconfirm what Raditz was telling him, Vegeta pressed the button on the scouter to measure his power. Upon seeing the reading, even he blinked. "Seven hundred…_forty?_"

Nappa and Raditz both looked at the prince with wide eyes. "It went up a little? Are you sure it's not some malfunction?" Raditz asked.

"Is 740 good?" Gohan asked in confusion.

"Not by our standards, but the fact that it increased a bit from the last time we measured it is interesting…" Nappa replied, his hand raised to his chin as he started thinking.

_Perhaps Raditz was right about this kid after all…_ Vegeta thought. "Alright, let's head out of this dump. Frieza's probably getting impatient."

Nappa and Raditz nodded. Vegeta walked towards the entrance of the dome while Nappa, Raditz, and Gohan trailed behind him. When they went outside, four spaceships, which had just landed, were waiting for them. They were all identical silver pods, like the one Raditz hauled Gohan in. Not wanting to have to choose for himself, Gohan waited for the Saiyan trio to get in their ships first before getting in his own. Gohan pressed the button to open the door to his pod. Before he had a chance to climb in, Raditz called him out.

"I almost forgot to explain some of the stuff about the Space Pods to you, boy," Raditz called from his pod. "Press the red button on the control panel to turn your speaker on so we can communicate with you through the ships should we ever need to. There's also a white button that turns on a gas that will put you to sleep. Our trip to the base should take a few hours, so you'll probably want to turn it on."

Gohan nodded before getting in his pod and taking a seat. The door closed automatically in response. Gohan checked out the control panel, which had the same buttons as Raditz explained. Before he had a chance to even raise his hand, he was suddenly shot back as the pod blasted off into the sky. Gohan let out a scared shriek before easing himself into the speed and taking a deep breath. He once again turned his attention back to the control panel. Pressing the red button, Gohan leaned into the panel to look for any sign of a speaker. Not finding one, he decided to just take a shot in the dark.

"Uh…can you guys hear me?" He nervously asked.

"Yes. Can you hear us?" Raditz asked.

Gohan nodded, but then looked around for the speaker that he apparently couldn't find before. He turned his head behind him and saw a small speaker at the far right corner of the pod. "Yeah." he replied.

"Good," Raditz said through the intercom.

Gohan looked outside of the glass in front of him, mesmerized by the vast darkness of space. The sights were amazing; Gohan had always wanted to go into space after reading about travels in his astronomy book. Although this was probably the absolutely last way he had ever intended on fulfilling that dream, he had to admit that it was a cool experience, if nothing else.

Gohan was so caught up in sight seeing that he didn't even bother to turn on the gas to induce sleep. The four or so hours passed by like nothing. The door to his pod opened revealing a planet not unlike the other one he had just come from. There were a few more buildings, though. Gohan stepped out of the pod and looked to the side to see that the other three had just gotten out of their pods as well. He dusted himself off and stretched out his arms a little, feeling stiff after having sat in the pod for quite a bit.

"Raditz," Vegeta said, turning to his long haired comrade. "Go tell Zarbon that we've returned. Nappa, go to Frieza's door and wait for our arrival."

They both nodded and walked to the large white building. Gohan looked up at Vegeta, who was giving him another intense, dark gaze. The prince walked over to the boy.

"Now, you listen to me, because I won't tell you again. Do _not_ cry in front of Frieza. Though your blood may be tainted by the humans', you still represent the last of our Saiyan race," Vegeta said, his voice low but firm. "If you show any fear, that bastard Frieza and his _sycophants_ will endlessly mock the four of us for it." Gohan nervously nodded.

"More importantly, it's for your own good. Frieza will pick up on your fear and only draw out your beating and make it even worse. Take the pain like a _man_; do not appear like a spineless coward in front of him." Vegeta ordered. He took note of Gohan's change in disposition, as if he were automatically doing as he said. Vegeta snickered. "Smart kid…" he muttered before walking to the building. Gohan followed his lead.

Gohan reasoned to himself for the time being that Vegeta wouldn't try to attack him. He found enough confidence to speak. "Um…Mr. Vegeta, sir?"

Vegeta laughed. "Look, kid, as much as I like being treated with the authority I damn well deserve, it's painfully obvious that you're trying too hard. Just call me by my regular name and leave it at that."

"Okay. Well, I was going to ask if this is where you all live," Gohan said, easing up just a little bit.

"If you can call it that," Vegeta replied. "Now I want you to understand: you no longer live that pampered life that you had on earth. I don't want to hear you bitching and moaning about how uncomfortable this place is compared to your home, or else I'll permanently put a stop to it." he warned. He described it like he was just talking about the weather, but Gohan knew he what he was capable of.

"Though Frieza is the head honcho here, you _still_ answer to me as well. Do not forget your place," Vegeta said before opening the door. Gohan walked in with him and took in his surroundings. The place was very similar to the other planet's building although there were far more soldiers running around. They all looked like they wanted to tear each other apart.

Gohan swallowed in his throat, which Vegeta noticed. "Most of these people are trash, kid. If you're this nervous around them, I shudder to think of how you'll act when you meet Frieza. I was just as old as you when I was first taken under him, but _I_ never forgot who I was and kept my pride. You must do the same."

Gohan felt slightly at ease knowing that at the very least, Vegeta could relate to his plight. Though he was still very frightening, the fact that he was still standing on his own two feet and had such a commanding presence despite _decades_ of servitude gave the half-breed the slightest bit of hope that he could do the same.

As the two walked to Frieza's quarters, a purple alien stepped in their way. He had wide yellow eyes and was wearing armor, and had a smug grin on his face. "So I see you've brought a little monkey back with you," he snickered.

"Out of my face, Cui," Vegeta sneered. "I don't have time for your bullshit."

Cui laughed in response. "Vegeta, don't go thinking you can send threats to me. You're still a tad…_weaker_ than me."

Vegeta growled at him before walking past him. Although Gohan didn't like violence, he wouldn't mind to see that guy get a good beating. He was annoying, plus he smelled really bad.

They stopped when they finally reached a set of metallic doors. Vegeta looked down at Gohan. "Remember what I told you, brat."

Gohan nodded and he mustered up the best stern look he could make. Gohan knew that he had to leave whatever fear he had behind for the moment or else he'd be chewed up and spat out like gum. The doors finally opened, and Gohan followed Vegeta's lead into the room. Already in there were Nappa and Raditz, both standing on one knee.

Also in the room were three new figures. One was a tall, slim, greenish alien with dark green hair. Outside of the Saiyans, he definitely appeared the most human-like. He had a blue scouter over his eyes. The other one was a rather ugly, pink creature with a stupid grin on his face, trying to intimidate the Saiyans. But then, in between the two, was a figure sitting in a chair that was turned around. The only thing Gohan could see off him was his two black horns protruding from his head and a pink tail. Gohan assumed that this was _him_…Frieza.

Vegeta walked to the space between Nappa and Raditz and moved a few steps ahead of them before getting down on one knee. He motioned toward Gohan to get in directly in between Nappa and Raditz. Gohan did as ordered and mirrored the elder Saiyans' actions.

"Report," The green alien commanded.

"We have wiped out Planet Maltar's population in three days," Vegeta said. His tone was guarded, as he had learned over the years to control his hatred for these three men.

The green figure snickered. "Can you repeat yourself? Did you really say that it took you a whole _three days?_"

"I did not _stutter, _Zarbon," Vegeta hissed in utter contempt.

"Do not forget your place, you insolent monkey!" Zarbon snarled in response.

Vegeta held back a growl, which was hard to do over Dodoria's incessant laughter.

"Now, now, Zarbon, there is no need to anger our dear prince; he was just trying the best he could," The figure in the middle said in feigned good nature. "What I'm more interested in is this new addition that Raditz has informed me about."

Gohan's throat went dry upon hearing this man's voice. If Vegeta's voice was enough to give him shivers, this guy's was absolutely bone chilling. It was very elegant, aristocratic almost. But beneath it was just the slightest hint of insanity.

"Lord Frieza, Raditz has sent us a half-Saiyan from the Planet Earth. He has exceptional power, even greater than his low class father's," Vegeta explained. Although Gohan didn't like his father being belittled like that, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride swell in his chest at hearing that he had already grown _stronger_ than him.

"Interesting…" the figure, Frieza, said. His chair slowly rotated until he was facing the Saiyan quartet. Gohan looked off to the side when he saw his dark eyes looming over him, practically piercing through his skin. The fear he felt towards the three Saiyans was nothing compared to how terrifying he thought this man was. Gohan remembered Vegeta's words and turned his eyes back to the alien, focusing on his red scouter.

Frieza saw through the boy's brave front, however. He let out a dark chuckle as he observed the boy. "Very interesting indeed. And what, pray tell, do you plan on doing with him?"

"We believe he will provide some assistance in our assignment on Planet Trident. If his power is honed properly, he could prove to be a very useful soldier, sire," Vegeta answered, his voice even more controlled than before.

Frieza took a sip from the glass of wine he was holding up in his left hand. He sighed in content before turning his attention back to the Saiyans. "Now, Vegeta, you know that I can't add a soldier to our army until he _proves_ his worth." he directed his eyes at Gohan. "Step forward, boy."

Gohan reluctantly walked forward until he was right next to Vegeta. He made sure to keep his eyes on the frightening figure before him.

"What is your name?"

"Son Gohan," The four year old said very carefully, making sure he didn't stutter.

"_Son Gohan…_has a nice ring to it," Frieza mused. Gohan's left eye twitched slightly, knowing this was part of his mind games. "Wouldn't you agree, Zarbon?"

"Yes, Lord," Zarbon replied automatically. Vegeta and Gohan were both tempted to roll their eyes at Frieza's sycophantic right hand man.

The lizard eyed Gohan up and down, looking at every aspect of his appearance. "Yes, something about him does remind me of Raditz, and I'm not just referring to his _unkempt_ hair," he said snidely. "He certainly does share relation to him."

Gohan let out a low growl, as the mention of their relation reminded him of his father and how much he wanted to be back on Earth with him right now. Frieza overheard it, but didn't bother to comment on it.

"It pains my heart to see such an _adorable_ little boy taken away from his home," Frieza said in feigned sympathy. "But you must understand, there can't be a single one of you monkeys existing in this universe that _isn't_ ruled by me. It is a matter of principal you see…"

Frieza directed his attention to Raditz. "And that is why I am almost tempted to punish Raditz for not finishing the job and sending his brother here as well. But you see, my young lad, I am a believer in _grace and mercy_. So I will allow your dear uncle to go unscathed for his lack of thoroughness."

Gohan tried to keep himself together. The most intimidating aspect of Frieza was how mockingly affable he was. He was speaking to him and his three new comrades as if they were royalty, but he knew that was just a front; it was part of his psychological games.

"However, there is a bit of a pecking order in this organization. You monkeys are near the very bottom of the totem pole, although I _do_ care for your loving Prince dearly," Frieza explained. Vegeta took a deep breath to reign in his temper. "Directly below the few remaining Saiyans are newcomers, _such as yourself_. Therefore, I'm afraid you'll have to take his punishment."

Gohan felt his breath shorten and he bit his bottom lip hard. Frieza let out an exaggerated sigh. "Now, now, don't be mad, my boy! Please believe me, this isn't because I don't like you or anything, it is because I just have no other choice. We must work within the system!"

Vegeta tilted his head towards Gohan, as if he were silently imploring him to remain strong.

"Vegeta, I'm going to need you and your two pets to step back a bit. This may get ugly," Frieza warned, his voice ice cold. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz did just that and moved closer to the door.

Frieza turned to his pink minion. "Dodoria, if you please?"

Dodoria smirked and cracked his knuckles as he walked towards Gohan. The child eyed him nervously as he slowly circled the boy, stopping when he was behind him.

"I'm going to need you to unwrap your tail for me," Frieza directed, never losing his mock respect.

Gohan nodded and uncoiled his tail from his waist. He stood there waiting for what was about to happen. Suddenly, he felt his tail being roughly squeezed from behind him. The half-Saiyan gasped for air, doing his absolute best to avoid letting out a pained shriek. With a firm grip on the boy's tail, Dodoria laughed.

Gohan remained on one knee, but he felt his foot slipping. The pain from having his tail squeezed was debilitating. He was sweating profusely and bit even harder on his bottom lip to avoid making a sound. A trickle of blood spilled down from his lip, which got a grin from Frieza.

"Oh my, he reminds me so much of Vegeta when he was first brought to me!" he said in delight.

Vegeta growled low in his throat over being reminded of his servitude, and his father's cowardly act of handing him over.

Frieza jumped out of his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, trying so hard to look strong. I wouldn't doubt that Vegeta repeatedly instructed you to show no fear, like how his late father did to him so many years ago."

Frieza looked across the room and was pleased to see the glare Vegeta was shooting in his direction. There was no greater pastime for him than pushing Vegeta's buttons and seeing how far he could go before enraging him.

Frieza closed the distance between Gohan and stared down on him. Looking straight into the tyrant's eyes, Gohan was on the edge of crying, but Vegeta's words kept ringing in his head-

"_Do not cry in front of Frieza."_

"_You still represent the last of our Saiyan race."_

"_It's for your own good…"_

_I _can't _cry!_ Gohan said to himself. He clamped his teeth together to avoid letting out any sound that indicated pain. Frieza snorted in amusement.

"You Saiyans are all the same," he smacked Gohan across the face with his tail. "Lowlife, monkey _trash_," Frieza sneered as he drove a knee right into the boy's stomach. Gohan coughed roughly and his foot slipped, sending him to the floor on both knees now.

"Now there's the proper position for a Saiyan," Frieza snickered. "Cowering before me on both knees. Yes, you will make a great servant indeed!"

As if to pour salt in the wound, Frieza smacked him across the face with his tail again, this time drawing blood. Frieza smirked and wiped the blood off with his finger, and then licked it off. "Ah, nothing tastes better than freshly shed blood. You can release him, Dodoria."

Dodoria removed his tail from his grip. Gohan was falling to the floor, until Frieza roughly grabbed him by his hair and raised him to eye level with him. Gohan struggled to catch his breath and let out several more coughs.

"Now, boy, you didn't really think that was the end of your punishment, did you?" he said in a falsely soothing voice. He then roughly punched Gohan in the stomach, causing him to hack up blood. To Frieza's displeasure it only spilled to the floor. Frieza punched him several more times at a rapid pace, laughing in delight as he heard Gohan's gasps for air.

Raditz and Nappa both closed their eyes. Vegeta watched the sight with almost no emotion; this type of violence was standard to him, as he had dished out, observed, and experienced this type of pain for years. However, he did understand the boy's plight, and it served to further remind him of his ultimate goal.

Finally, Frieza sighed in disappointment when he saw Gohan slip out of consciousness. "Oh, you monkeys are just no fun!" he pouted before unceremoniously dropping Gohan to the floor. "Here, take your pet to a rejuvenation chamber. I want you to train him first thing tomorrow." Nappa stepped forward and slung Gohan on his shoulders.

"You three are dismissed," Frieza directed.

The Saiyans turned and Raditz opened the door to lead the way out of the room. They headed toward one of the emergency rooms and when arriving there, opened up the healing chamber. Nappa carefully placed Gohan in the chamber and put a breathing mask over his face, and then closed the door. Raditz pressed a button on the unit, causing a green solution to pour down on and submerge the half Saiyan.

"I gotta say, the half-breed's pretty tough. I expected him to start crying," Nappa said, taking a deep breath.

Vegeta nodded as he stared at the boy through the glass of the rejuvenation chamber. He knew that the road ahead of Gohan would be tough, but that was for him to deal with. It's the survival of the fittest here, and Gohan would have to take the steps to learn it.


	2. Hybrid Theory

Gohan's eyes slowly opened. His surroundings seemed rather odd. Whatever place he was in was a teal color, and he could tell he was surrounded by liquid. Looking down, he saw a breathing mask over his nose. He looked through the glass in front of him and saw a small, elderly purple alien approaching the machine. The creature pressed a button, causing the door to open and the fluid Gohan was submerged in to spill out onto the floor.

"Remove your breathing mask, little one," the purple alien instructed.

Gohan slowly detached the mask from his face and let out a long exhale. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was at. "Um, sir, where am I?"

"You're in a medical unit," the alien replied, "My name is Ourenge."

Gohan nodded and looked down, surveying his appearance. He immediately noticed that he wasn't wearing any clothes. "Where's my armor, sir?"

Another alien, just as small but a lot younger looking came back with a replica of the same armor and uniform he had been wearing before.

"Put this on, Gohan. Vegeta has ordered you to report to one of the training facilities with Raditz and Nappa," the younger alien explained.

Gohan grabbed the outfit from the alien and began putting it on, starting with the body suit. He was beginning to remember what happened prior to waking up – he was sent to that tyrant, Frieza, and beaten to prove his worth. That lizard was utterly terrifying, making the Saiyans look like decent guys by comparison. But beneath his fear was a small hint of anger, a desire for payback for what was dealt to him.

Gohan noticed that all of the pain from that encounter was completely gone; he didn't even feel sore. "So, what did that tank thingy I was in do? I feel all better."

"It is a healing chamber," Ourenge replied. "The solution you were submerged in penetrates every pore and heals your injuries."

"I see…" Gohan muttered as he slipped his armor over his head. He did a few stretches, as if to confirm he was all better. After finishing his outfit with his gloves, he walked towards the doorway.

"Don't forget your scouter, boy," Ourenge advised.

Gohan stopped and turned his head to the blue scouter lying on the counter next to him. He picked it up and placed it back onto his ear and over his eye before leaving. Gohan walked down the hall, where he found a familiar tall, long-haired figure waiting for him.

"It's about time you got back up, half-breed," Raditz snickered.

"Where's this training facility thing?" Gohan asked.

"Follow me," Raditz replied, turning to the right and walking down the hallway. Gohan followed his lead and looked around. There were more soldiers, of various colors and sizes, walking by. Gohan's hearing picked up what they were saying, making jokes about Saiyans and monkeys. Gohan didn't understand – why were Raditz, Vegeta, and Nappa treated like such worthless dogs for being Saiyans?

Raditz stopped in front of a metallic door. "Here we are, kid." The elder Saiyan pressed a button and the door slid open. The room they were walking into was very dark and dreary, the floor made out of stone. Leaning against the wall were his two other comrades, Vegeta and Nappa.

"Well will you look at that, half-breed's finally up," Nappa joked. "I gotta hand it to you; it was pretty impressive how you managed to keep your composure with Frieza."

Gohan instinctively scratched the back of his head, feeling a little proud that Nappa decided to pay him a slight amount of respect for his bravery.

"You certainly did a lot better than Raditz when he first met Frieza. I heard you were so shaken up that you didn't say a word for a whole week!" Vegeta snickered.

Nappa burst with laughter, as he was actually there to see Raditz's first encounter. Raditz angrily growled at his companions. "That's not true, Vegeta!"

Vegeta's laughter died down as he turned his attention to Gohan. He pressed the button on his scouter to inspect his power level, and then gave a satisfied nod when the number flashed.

"800. Excellent, your strength has gone up a little," Vegeta said.

Gohan looked up at Vegeta in confusion. "But how?"

"A Saiyan's strength increases when they recover from injuries," Raditz explained. "That's why you should brush your little beating off; it'll only do you better in the end."

Gohan stared at his palms and moved his arms a little, noticing a bit of an increase in his strength as Vegeta and Raditz mentioned.

"But it's still a measly 800; nothing to be proud of," Vegeta said bluntly. "We still have about six days until we go on our assignment on Trident. We will be training you intensively until then." Vegeta gave Gohan a dark grin. "You better get used to getting more near-death power ups, boy."

Gohan flinched and nervously stammered. The smirk on Vegeta's face was frightening, to say the least. It left no secret as to the hellish training Gohan was likely to receive throughout the next six days. The four year old reasoned to himself that the trio was trying to make him stronger, not torture him in cold blood like Frieza.

"Now, the first thing we have to do is make sure you're familiar with a few things. Do you know how to use energy?" Raditz asked.

"Uh…no? What do you mean by energy?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta raised his arm, and his hand began glowing with a bright yellow light. He formed it into a ball and fired it at one of the steel walls. "Something like that." He said.

Gohan noticed it looked familiar to his father's Kamehameha. "Wait…I thought that was called 'Ki.'" Gohan said in confusion.

"Who cares what it's called brat, its effect is still the same!" Vegeta said irritably.

"Well, how do I do it, then?" Gohan asked.

Raditz actually look confused as he tried to come up with an explanation. In his, Vegeta's, and Nappa's cases, they just knew it and didn't really think of _how _it worked.

"Uh…good question, actually," Raditz replied.

He turned to his two comrades for any sort of suggestion, but they both nonchalantly shrugged. Gohan nearly fell on his face. How were these guys going to teach him about "energy" or "Ki" or whatever if they couldn't even explain how they did it themselves?

"Um, well you just, uh…" Raditz said, running his hair through his head. He angrily snapped his fingers. "Damn that idiot Kakarot for pampering you so much! He could've taught you a thing or two!"

Upon hearing that, Gohan suddenly remembered one of his father's futile attempts at training him, which was interrupted by his mother…

* * *

><p><em>Gohan and Goku walked out into the lush grass field behind their house. Gohan was wearing a white tank top and green pants as he watched his father do a few stretches. Goku turned to his son.<em>

_"Alright, one of the basics of fighting is 'Ki,'" Goku began, "You know that cool Kamehameha thing that I do? That's done with Ki."_

_Gohan enthusiastically nodded. "Ooh, I wanna do that, too!"_

_"Well, in order to bring out to do it, you must concentrate your Ki. Every living thing has Ki, and it's sort of at the 'center' of your body. Just try to focus on it, and form a small ball of light," Goku explained._

_Gohan shut his eyes and tried to focus, doing as his father explained. He raised his hands as he tried to concentrate his Ki to them. He could practically feel it coming; he just had to push a little further…_

_"GOKU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I ALREADY TOLD YOU ABOUT TRAINING GOHAN!" Chi-Chi shouted from their house._

_Gohan's eyes shot back open, killing his concentration. Goku nervously yelped._

_"Oh, come on Chi-Chi, I just wanted to show him a few little things!" Goku whined._

_"N-O, Goku! Our son is to focus solely on being a scholar! Now, get back in here, both of you!" Chi-Chi ordered._

_They both groaned and walked back in the house. Gohan was disappointed. He kinda wanted to do a Kamehameha himself._

* * *

><p>"Wait, I think I know, now." Gohan said. He raised his hand and focused on his Ki. He was having a lot easier of a time doing it than he had before, as if it were something natural. A blue ball of Ki formed in his hand.<p>

"Perfect," Raditz said. "You're still a Saiyan, so something like that should just come naturally to you."

Gohan nodded and turned so he was facing the wall. He launched the blue Ki ball at it, watching as it hit the wall and burst into a cloud of smoke. Gohan drew his hand closer to his face, looking at it in awe. "Whoa…cool."

"Alright, now that the brat knows how to fire blasts, let's get to our training," Vegeta said. "Raditz, you spar with the boy; he'll have a much easier time with _you_." He said with a little bit of a snicker.

Raditz didn't even show a reaction, already used to his lower power being endlessly brought up by Vegeta and Nappa. He walked in front of Gohan and crouched into a fighting stance.

"Okay, brat, show me what you've got!" Raditz challenged.

Gohan swallowed in his throat. He had never been in an actual fight before, and he was still scared of Raditz after seeing how he hurt his father so easily with a simple kick. Gohan reluctantly got into his own fighting stance, which looked like a very rudimentary version of the one he saw his father take on several times. He was shivering in anxiety, not knowing whether to just come at him or wait for Raditz to start it off. Vegeta and Nappa laughed at his disposition.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Attack me!" Raditz ordered.

Gohan nodded and ran at his uncle. He attempted to kick him, but Raditz jumped out of the way with ease. Gohan landed on the floor on one foot and teetered around as he tried to regain his balance. He turned around and saw Raditz grinning at him with his arms folded. Gohan charged at him again, this time jumping up and trying to land a punch to his face. Raditz grabbed his tiny fist and roughly shoved his nephew to the floor. Gohan stumbled back, running into Nappa's foot. The bald Saiyan unceremoniously kicked Gohan in the back to push him forward, chuckling the entire time.

"You really were spoiled on Earth," Raditz taunted. "What a shame, a Saiyan who can't even fight very well."

Gohan was growing frustrated. Raditz's taunting and the laughs from the other two Saiyans were annoying him. With greater speed, Gohan ran at Raditz and tried to land a blow to his stomach, but Raditz moved out of the way and delivered a knee to his ribs. Gohan fell to the floor, but got back up, though he had a hand clutching his ribs.

"Aww, did I hurt you?" Raditz asked in mock concern. He snorted in amusement. "How pathetic; you're just as weak as your father!"

Gohan angrily growled at Raditz. "You take that back, my father wasn't weak!" He shouted.

"Really? If I recall, I had him groveling on the floor off of one weak kick! He was weak, there's no getting around that!" Raditz sneered.

"Shut up!" Gohan yelled.

"There's no use in denying it, boy. If your father was so strong, he would've been able to save you," He said, coldly.

Raditz's words hit Gohan hard. He was reminded of how he had gotten into this whole mess; it was all the fault of the man standing in front of him, who was currently taunting his ineffectiveness. If he hadn't have dropped in and decided to beat up his father, he would've been enjoying peace at his home, rather than _this_. An intense anger was building up in his chest; he was getting sick of seeing Raditz laugh at him, taking joy at the pain that he was responsible for. Gohan tightly clenched his fists and curled his arms back. He was practically shaking in rage.

Vegeta lowered his arms from his chest and raised his eyebrow, noticing a bright glow building around Gohan. Raditz on the other hand, didn't seem to notice or care, and continued insulting him.

"I can hardly believe you're a Saiyan right now! It must be that stupid human blood!" He exclaimed.

"Stop talking about my daddy!" Gohan hissed through his teeth.

Raditz laughed. "If Kakarot were here right now, I would slap him for fucking a human female and making you so weak."

_That_ did it. As if being possessed by some hidden force, Gohan let out a ferocious scream and flew straight at Raditz with immense speed. Raditz didn't even have time to defend himself against the vicious punch that was delivered right to his jaw. The punch sent him flying halfway across the room and left him in a pained heap on the floor. If he could even move his mouth, he would've been gasping in shock.

Vegeta and Nappa's eyes shot wide open at the attack, both glancing at Raditz and then turning their heads to Gohan.

"Unbelievable…" Vegeta muttered, short of breath. He had to a double take when he saw the furious, hateful look in the normally meek half-breed's eyes.

"Holy shit," Nappa stammered, still not believing the level of power he saw the kid show. Though Vegeta's scouter didn't go off, _his_ did, and the reading he got had momentarily robbed him of his ability to speak.

Gohan stood straight up and shook his head. The angry look on his face had faded and gave way to one of confusion. He had no clue what happened; he looked around and was surprised to see Raditz sprawled out on the floor in pain, and Vegeta and Nappa looking at him in astonishment.

"Wh-what just happened…?" He nervously asked. "What happened to Raditz?"

"Kid…" Vegeta muttered.

"You mean you don't even remember what you just did?" Nappa asked in disbelief.

"What happened; did I hit him?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta walked over to his distraught comrade who was lying on the floor. Raditz was clenching at his jaw, and his eyes were shut. Vegeta crouched down and surveyed the damage done to him.

"It appears that he's broken his jaw." Standing back up, Vegeta turned so he was facing Nappa. "Go take him to a rejuvenation chamber, Nappa."

Nappa nodded and walked up to Raditz, helping him back up to his feet and keeping him up with a hand on his shoulder as he walked. He left the training facility and walked down the hall. Vegeta walked towards Gohan. The boy was still confused as to what had just occurred, and looked down when he saw the scrutinizing gaze Vegeta was giving him.

After what felt like a minute, Vegeta spoke up. "You wait here," The Prince ordered before leaving the room as well. Gohan took a deep breath and sat down on the floor.

Vegeta marched down the hallway, headed to the medical room. He stopped when he saw Nappa walking in his direction. "Nappa, I saw your scouter go off when the boy attacked Raditz. What was the power level you read?"

Nappa exhaled before speaking up. "1400, Vegeta."

"1400?" Vegeta repeated, unable to contain his surprise. "Y-you're kidding me!"

"It's crazy, I know…" Nappa replied. "But I don't think it's a malfunction."

Vegeta leaned back against the wall and grabbed his chin. "I can't believe that spoiled brat has that much power brimming inside."

"I know; for him to already be stronger than Raditz at his age is insanity," Nappa replied.

"Well, his age shouldn't make it _that_ surprising; after all, I had already surpassed my father when I was as old as he is," Vegeta arrogantly replied. "But unlike him, that was because of how much I trained. It was clear by how the brat was fighting when his emotions were under control that he has absolutely no experience in combat."

"The fact that he has that much power in him despite doing absolutely nothing is astounding. His power being at 800 was already crazy enough, but _that_?" Vegeta said. "I guess Saiyans and humans have a unique compatibility. When their blood is mixed, it creates a warrior with incredible potential. 1400 may just be the beginning; if we were to teach him to bring that power out without the contraint of emotions, he could prove to be a key ally to us."

"You mean he might be able to…?" Nappa asked, his voice trailing off.

"Yes, Nappa," Vegeta replied, already knowing exactly what he was getting at.

Nappa wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Man, some discovery Raditz made, huh?"

"Indeed…" Vegeta replied. This was certainly an advantageous situation for the Saiyans. Gohan had the potential to become very powerful, and should he gain experience and draw out his latent potential, he could help Vegeta achieve his true goal - his reason for even remaining in this forsaken slavery.

And yet, Vegeta had an odd feeling about using a Saiyan child for this. Perhaps it was because he was just as young as he himself was when he was taken into Frieza's army? The thought only popped up for a moment before Vegeta pushed it back entirely.

He walked back to the training facility, where Gohan was still sitting down, staring at the ground. "Boy, tell me – do you remember what happened after Raditz's taunting?"

Gohan blinked a bit before replying. "Uh…not really. I got really mad, but everything after that just went black. Did I hurt him?"

"Yes, you hurt him," Vegeta replied. "Your power is far greater than I imagined, especially considering your age and inexperience."

Vegeta pressed his scouter and measured his power level, and looked at the reading with both surprise and confirmation. "It's back to 800. It seems like your powers are guided by your stupid human emotions. Over the next few days we're going to train you so you can bring out more of that power of yours without being angry. You can potentially become a very useful ally to us."

Gohan nodded as he listsened to what Vegeta was explaining to him. He still didn't like the situation he was in, but he did feel a bit of pride knowing he was useful to these guys, at least.

"But for now, we will eat. Follow me," Vegeta said.

As if on cue, Gohan's stomach growled. The half-breed got up from the floor and followed Vegeta to some room that had stone tables set up throughout it. There were a bunch of soldiers either seated or walking around. Vegeta took a seat at one of the tables, where Nappa was already eating. Gohan sat down as well, looking down at the plate in front of him. The food was, to say the least, not very good. The slab of meat looked like it was dried up and what he could only assume were grapes looked unhealthy. It was definitely a far cry from his mother's delicious cooking.

Nappa snickered at Gohan's clear disgust at the food. "Aww, what's wrong, don't like your meal?"

"Heh, guess he's not used to no longer having great food at his leisure. Unfortunately, Frieza only allows his higher ranked soldiers to eat the tasty cuisine, while the low ranks get the crap. Even though the four of us are far superior to these pieces of trash, Frieza views us Saiyans as dogs," Vegeta said, his voice laced with hatred for his tyrant superior.

Gohan grunted in acknowledgment and stared at his food, digging a fork through it and observing it. Vegeta let out an annoyed sneer.

"Well there's no point in acting apprehensive about it now – just eat it, half-breed!" he said irritably. "You won't get anything better than this until the purge, so I suggest you stop being a spoiled brat."

Gohan nervously shrieked and hastily lifted the fork and the meat slab to his mouth and took a bite. He slowly chewed the meat, and to his surprise it wasn't as disgusting as he'd imagined. It's just that it tasted like, well…nothing; just a plain piece of food. It wasn't anything that could've satiated his immense appetite.

That thought brought a good question that Gohan had been wondering about. "My mom always said that my dad and I's appetites were unusual compared to most other people's. Is that a Saiyan thing?

"Indeed. We Saiyans have a faster metabolism than most other races due to our high energy output in battle. We have to get plenty of food to refuel ourselves," Vegeta explained.

"But of course Frieza always underfeeds us to keep our power in check," Nappa said with a growl. "We would be much stronger if we had proper eating habits!"

Gohan was starting to see a little bit that the Saiyans were a bit special, seeing as how Frieza seemed to take special measures to hold back their power. Perhaps, with more years of experience, they had the potential to exceed even him? It was a thought that definitely intrigued the half-Saiyan.

Raditz joined the trio at the table, taking a seat next to Gohan. He growled in his direction. Vegeta and Nappa laughed at their longtime partner.

"Is your jaw all better, Raditz?" Nappa asked through a chuckle.

Raditz snarled in response, which only increased Nappa's laughter.

"It's such a shame – I bet you were so happy thinking you were no longer the weakest person of our bunch," Vegeta taunted. "Too bad it was only for a day!"

Raditz muttered a few curses under his breath while eating his food. Gohan giggled just a little bit, finding Raditz's struggles amusing.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, half-breed. I recovered from an injury, so I should likely be past you now," Raditz threatened.

Gohan shriveled up in his seat a little until Vegeta spoke up. "Oh, cut the bullshit, Raditz, it was one measly fucking jaw injury!"

"Yeah, your power level probably only went up by a whole ten points!" Nappa joked.

"Oh, this never gets old…" Vegeta said in amusement as he saw Raditz's lips curled back.

The rest of their lunch went on in silence. The group followed Vegeta's lead as they walked to a white room. Gohan looked around and saw a bunch of large white slabs of stone.

"What are all these for?" Gohan asked.

"They're the cots that we sleep on," Nappa replied, taking a seat on one of them.

Gohan eyed one of them reluctantly. He overheard Vegeta growl in annoyance.

"What, were you expecting a bed for you to get tucked into? I'm sick of having to remind you that this isn't going to be easy. Nobody's going to pat you on the head and tell you everything's going to be alright, kid." Vegeta said harshly. He took off his scouter and lay down on his cot.

Gohan groaned and climbed up to his, doing the same. Vegeta was right; in this new world he was in, he had to completely fend for himself. Nothing was going to be easy for him, and there was no use in complaining about it now. This was the life he was stuck with, and he was just going to have to deal with it.

* * *

><p>The next day, Gohan was abruptly woken up by the sound of something banging against his cot. His eyes shot open and he looked up to see Nappa towering over him.<p>

"Rise and shine, kid," Nappa said.

Gohan stood up and dusted his clothes off. "What's on tap for today, Mr. Nappa?"

Nappa snickered at being addressed as "mister" before replying, "We're gonna train you some more."

Gohan didn't have much of a reaction, figuring it was better than seeing Frieza or anything like that. He did a few stretches to ease up his muscles.

"And just a word of warning: expect for us to push your buttons a lot like Raditz did yesterday. Now that we know how much power comes out when you're enraged, we're gonna try and get you to learn how to control it," Nappa explained.

Gohan gave a grunt of acknowledgement before following Nappa out of the room. He actually liked Nappa the best out of the Saiyans, because even though he was a big brute, and probably was just as nasty as the other two, he was at least a bit more easygoing and carefree. However, he _respected_ Vegeta the most. The two Saiyans stepped into the training room, where Vegeta and Raditz were already waiting. Raditz looked visibly annoyed in Gohan's presence, still bitter over being shown up yesterday.

"Alright, kid, we're going to start _seriously_ training you today. You're going to have to be efficient in fighting to get far in a purge," Vegeta began. "Now, do you at least know _something_ about combat?"

Gohan eyed Vegeta nervously. "Well, my dad _tried_ to train me a lot, but my mom usually stopped him before he could get any far."

"Ridiculous…" Vegeta said with a snort, disgusted at how pacifistic these humans were. "How much did Kakarot at least attempt to teach you?"

Gohan frowned in thought. "Well, just some basics, I guess."

"Could've fooled me with how you were fighting before," Raditz sneered.

"I was just really nervous yesterday!" Gohan shouted indignantly. Raditz took a hostile step forward, angry at being yelled at with such disrespect, but Vegeta waved a dismissive hand at him.

"Well you _can't_ be nervous. The warriors on Planet Trident are above average compared to your typical fighters. They'll be aiming to kill you; if you make one slip, you're as good as dead," Vegeta said flatly.

Gohan nervously nodded. He knew that he was going to have to be much better in fighting if he was ever going to survive in this world. "So, what are we going to do, then?"

"Well, none of us are very good teachers…" Vegeta said absent mindedly. His lips curled into a cruel smirk. "I suppose we'll just have to beat the shit out of you and hope you pick up on things."

Gohan's heart sank and he felt a bead of sweat trail down his head. "R-really…?" The half-Saiyan nervously stammered.

Vegeta expression returned to neutral. "Look, kid, you're a Saiyan. Fighting is in your blood – certain things will come naturally to you, but you need to be in combat for the instincts to even come to the surface. And it's better that you learn how to use those instincts with us while we're not trying to kill you, rather than your _real_ enemies in win-or-lose, life-or-death situations."

"Well, I guess that makes sense…" Gohan replied, still scared but a little bit understanding.

"On that note, let the training begin." Vegeta looked down on the young Saiyan with a dark expression. "This may get ugly for you, boy." He said grimly.

Nappa and Raditz both smirked and cracked their knuckles. The Saiyan trio stalked towards Gohan, who was nervously stepping back. All three of them jumped in the air, causing Gohan to crouch down and defensively clutch his head.

However, something in him snapped. Perhaps as a response to the impending danger, his head suddenly snapped back up and he looked on at the three Saiyans with violent intent. Catching the look in his eyes, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz all halted their descent to observe the kid.

"It must be happening again…" Nappa muttered.

"His power only seems to come out when he's angry or endangered. We'll have to fix that," Vegeta said.

Without warning, Gohan shot up in the air and furiously threw punches at Vegeta. The prince easily dodged them, but he was impressed the boy's tenacity. Gohan tried to kick Vegeta in the jaw, but he swiftly moved out of the way and backhanded Gohan in the face, sending him to the floor.

"You're going to have to do better than that, brat!" Vegeta said, with challenge booming in his voice.

"This kid's really something!" Raditz said with a snicker.

As if he hadn't even heard what they said, Gohan growled and flew back up, this time going for Nappa. The burly Saiyan grabbed Gohan by the hair and raised him up to eye level.

"Uh, uh, uh…" Nappa said, wagging his index finger around. "You'll have to be a little more efficient."

Gohan, out of annoyance, grabbed the hand Nappa was holding him with and used it to boost himself up before sinking his teeth right into his wrist! Nappa shrieked in pain while Vegeta and Raditz let out loud laughter.

"OW! THAT LITTLE BASTARD BIT ME!" Nappa shouted.

Nappa angrily glared at the half-Saiyan. It was then that Gohan snapped back to normal, shriveling up when he saw the enraged, bald Saiyan scowling at him, looking to rough him up.

"Uh, Mr. Napp-"

Nappa raised both of his fists up and clenched them together, and then slammed them down right on the boy's head. Gohan fell right back to the floor. Gohan slowly got back up, in a daze. His ears were ringing loudly and he felt like his head was spinning.

"Don't pull that shit again, brat, or else it'll be the _last_ time!" Nappa warned, tending to his wrist.

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "Well at least the brat's got spirit…"

Vegeta descended to the floor. "But I'm afraid those tactics won't work on me," he said to the cowering half-breed standing before him.

Once again realizing how tough this session was going to be, Gohan swallowed in his throat a little. Oh, how he wished he was back home right about now…

* * *

><p>Several painful hours later, Gohan was limping to the medical room, with Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz following him. His right eye was swollen shut, his armor had cracks in it, and he had cuts and bruises all over his body. Several soldiers passed by laughed at the sight.<p>

"Aww, looks like the monkeys had some fun with their little pet!" one of them snickered.

"Shut the hell up and stick your noses out of our business, fools!" Vegeta shouted in warning. "We are fully capable of killing all of you; don't forget that for a second."

The soldiers all stiffened, giving Vegeta hostile looks before going about their business. Vegeta's temper tantrums in this territory were practically legendary by now, and it was best not to push him further, because he _would_ carry out his threats without a second thought.

Gohan hurriedly walked into the medical room. He was absolutely exhausted from today; the Saiyans beat him to a pulp, and all he wanted to do was get healed. He felt like he was going to die if he didn't get these injuries fixed up. He began taking off his armor as Nappa prepared the rejuvenation chamber. Raditz placed one of the breathing masks over Gohan's face and placed him in the chamber. He closed the door and pressed the button, submerging Gohan in the icy solution.

"I guess that was good for day one," Raditz mused.

Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement. He at least respected Gohan's fortitude and the fact that he had actually managed to survive their training for the day. He was sure of it; Gohan would become a powerful fighter in due time.

Hell, give him a few years and he might end up even stronger than him. _How absurd…_ Vegeta thought dismissively.

The rest of the week went the same way for Gohan. They developed a routing: Gohan would wake up, eat what could politely be called breakfast, train for several hours, eat lunch, train some more, have dinner, and then go to one of the rejuvenation chambers.

He didn't really find himself easing into his supposed hidden strength all that well, although at the very least, the power he had at his disposal already was growing ever so slightly thanks to what Raditz had told him before. However, he still wasn't at all comfortable with the reason why he was being trained in the first place – to kill people who didn't do anything to him, all in the name of a ruthless tyrant that looked down on him simply for the blood coursing through his veins. It made him sick to his stomach, and he was hoping the full blooded Saiyans would just overdo things and spare him the work.

The day had come, and the four had been instructed to see Frieza before going off on their mission. Gohan hadn't been in the room they were walking to since the first day, and he still had bitter memories of what had happened.

The room was set up the same as it had been before. On the left and right sides were Zarbon and Dodoria, looking smug, and Frieza was in between them, sitting in his floating chair. The Saiyans all got down one knee before him.

"Ah, it's so great to see my favorite pets back here," Frieza remarked. "And Gohan! It's been a whole week since our first meeting; I do hope that you missed me!" He said in his typical feigned kindness.

Gohan's left eye twitched in response, drawing an exaggerated sigh from Frieza. "It pains me when I see my _good nature_ not being reciprocated. Alas…"

Gohan tried to reign in the ever-building resentment that he had for the lizard in front of him; he was nearly shaking at this point. Zarbon's scouter went off.

"Oh my, Lord Frieza, it appears that you're angering the boy a bit!" Zarbon snickered. "His power level just went up to 1050."

"I see. Try to control that temper, young lad. You have to save your energy for you assignment," Frieza said. "Speaking of which, enough with the pleasantries. Are you absolutely clear on your mission, men?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza. We are to clear Planet Trident, located in Galaxy #16 of the south sector, of all of its inhabitants." Vegeta replied.

"Excellent. Now, don't disappoint me, my pets. This is the first high ranking mission I've given you all in a long time. I wouldn't want you over-exerting yourselves!" Frieza said. He took a sip of his wine. "You four are dismissed."

The Saiyan quartet got up and left the room. They walked out of the building and to the four space pods that were currently waiting for them. Gohan was sweating profusely as he approached his ship. Vegeta saw this and stopped walking. He stepped in front of the half-breed.

"Listen boy, it's high time you got over your apprehension," Vegeta said.

"But it's just…this is gonna be tough…" He pouted.

"So what? We're not going to hold your hand throughout this. You'll have to fend for yourself," Vegeta said coldly. "You are a soldier in the Cold Army – you're as expendable as anybody else here. You may prove you are truly worthy and survive this mission, or you'll get killed and make your whole kidnapping a completely pointless experience. It makes no difference to me."

Gohan felt a lump in his throat. The sheer grimness of Vegeta's statement was eating away at the little bit of confidence he already had. Shaking his head, Gohan brushed past Vegeta and got into his ship. He had to stop being scared soon, or else he'd get torn apart on Planet Trident.

It was now, or never.


	3. Purge

As Gohan stepped out of the space pod on Trident, he noticed how the planet actually had daylight. The sky was a bright, orange-like color, and the terrain was filled with lush trees. It was a shame that a planet that looked this beautiful was about to get hit with something terrible. Gohan was still very antsy, worried about the report that Vegeta and Raditz were discussing and how high the average power level was. He wasn't quite sure he could handle it. More importantly, he didn't want to kill innocent people. Gohan climbed out of the crater that his ship formed and saw Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz all looking around, scoping the place out.

Vegeta was running his scouter, looking for where the highest power levels were. "There's a location about 500 kilometers straight ahead containing numerous warriors with power levels in the tens of thousands. I'll do my best to take those guys out." Vegeta pressed a button on his scouter and turned to Nappa. "And Nappa, there's another spot 100 kilometers west of here that has fighters more of your level. From my calculations, the average power levels should be around 2500."

"Oh yeah, I'm glad Frieza finally pulled his head out of his ass and sent us to this planet!" Nappa said enthusiastically, cracking his knuckles. "We'll work up a good sweat here!"

Vegeta snickered a bit and turned to Raditz. "And I want you to go about 600 kilometers south of here. Most of the warriors over there shouldn't be too much for you to handle."

Raditz nodded. "Do you want me to take the boy with me?"

Vegeta turned around so he was facing Gohan. He stared at him for a few moments, causing Gohan to look at him in confusion.

"No. Gohan, I want you to go around in the forest. Frieza wants this place completely cleared of all living things, so gradually take out the wildlife."

"Yes sir," Gohan said. It was a little bit of a relief, as he didn't feel as bad about hunting animals as opposed to killing people. He'd even get a good meal out of it. Gohan's mouth was salivating at the thought.

"Now, mind you all, the highest power level is about 20,000, which is slightly higher than _mine_. In the inevitability that I call you guys over, you _better_ be ready," Vegeta said tersely.

That was the part that Gohan was jittery about. He had never been in combat before, outside of his training with the Saiyans. They were fighting him with just enough strength so as _not_ to kill him. That wouldn't be the case with these guys. He was just going to have to try his best and hope he'd make it out alive.

"Alright, let's spread out," Vegeta ordered. He, Nappa, and Raditz all took to the sky. Gohan immediately realized that he couldn't fly.

"Wait!" he called out.

The three full blooded Saiyans stopped and looked down at Gohan, all letting out their own annoyed, impatient grunts.

"What now?" Vegeta asked irritably.

"Uh…how do you fly?" he asked nervously.

"I dunno," the three Saiyans said in unison.

Raditz sighed. "Look, just…jump, and um…use your energy as a boost or something. I really don't know; this is natural to us Saiyans, so you should be able to do it with ease."

_And it's probably why you guys stink at explaining it, _Gohan said to himself, smartly not saying it out loud. He shut his eyes, focusing on his Ki. He tried to force the Ki under him to lift himself up. In almost no time, the half-Saiyan was floating several feet above ground.

"There, you did it," Raditz said.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's go!" Vegeta yelled. The Saiyans all flew to their designated areas.

Gohan floated around a bit, trying to ease himself into flying. He actually had a relatively simple time adjusting to it, noting that it didn't seem to have much strain on him at all. Since he didn't have to kill everything immediately, the four year old Saiyan decided to explore the beautiful landscape while it was still standing.

He jumped into the vast forest of trees and hopped from branch to branch, getting some good exercise doing so. His sensitive Saiyan hearing picked up the sounds of insects chirping about, reminding him of home, when he and his dad used to take long trips down the forest at Mount Paoz when he got a break from studying. He sighed, once again feeling that familiar longing to just go back to the simple living of earth, where he didn't have to worry about Frieza and the atrocities of mass murder.

After hopping off of one branch, Gohan landed in front of a rather large tree. He looked up at the vast trunk in awe of its height; it must have been standing there for years. Gohan curled his fist back, trying to test his strength against the tree. He punched the trunk, causing it to shake a little. The hardness of the tree bark stung his wrists a little bit, though he shook it off. Gohan heard the sounds of leaves shaking. He looked up and saw what looked to be fruit falling from the trees. Gohan sighed in joy when he saw the fruit hit the ground; finally, some good, nutritional food! He grabbed the grapefruit with enthusiasm, and took a big bite out of it.

"Mmm, tasty!" Gohan said, chewing the fruit. It tasted like grapes, but it had an exotic flavor to it as well. He chowed down on several more pieces of the fruit before scooping up an armful and hopping up to a tree. The half-breed slung his tail around the branch so he was hanging from it and ate more of the fruit.

Gohan heard something ruffling through the bushes, although he paid it no mind, figuring it was an animal. However, a sharp object, resembling an arrow, suddenly came soaring in his direction. Gohan nearly choked on his food as he hastily loosened his tail from the tree branch and jumped down to the grass. Gohan looked over his shoulder, seeing the branch snap clean in half from the impact of the arrow. The arrow sunk deep into the tree bark.

"Who's there?" he asked defensively, but with a shaky tone.

"Who are you, intruder?" a voice commanded, still hidden.

"Show yourself!" Gohan ordered.

"As you wish!" the voice replied. Gohan looked to his left and saw a figure jump out from the bushes, doing a few flips in the air before landing on the ground. It was a little boy wearing puffy black pants and a white tank top, who didn't look much older than Gohan. He looked very human like, though his skin was a pale green, similar to Zarbon but much lighter. He had bushy, navy blue hair.

"Who are you?" Gohan asked.

"I could say the same to you," he sneered.

"I'm not here to hurt you, y'know. I was just exploring the forest a bit," Gohan said, although it was only really true on his part. He knew what this was all going to lead to in the end. He wasn't going to hurt him, but Vegeta, Nappa, or Raditz surely would.

The boy circled around Gohan, and then leaned in and smelled him. Gohan flinched, uncomfortable with how close the boy was getting to his personal space.

"You seem alright," the kid remarked. "I'm Mentos, what's your name?"

"I'm Gohan."

"Gohan, huh?" Mentos muttered. "So, what brings you to Trident?"

Gohan opened his mouth to answer, but stumbled around when he felt the ground shaking beneath him. Mentos did his best to stand his ground as well.

"Whoa, what the heck was that?" Mentos shouted.

"Those are probably my 'bosses,'" Gohan groaned. "They're all jerks."

"Yeah, I'd bet," Mentos snickered. "So why are you with them?"

"I don't really have much of a choice," Gohan replied, with a hint of sadness.

"Aw, that sucks," Mentos replied sympathetically.

Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, believe me."

Mentos smiled. "Well, you're cool in my book, Gohan." he stuck his hand out, offering a handshake. Gohan accepted it firmly, returning the smile.

"So, what do you say we go hunting? I was just in the middle of getting some food for myself!" Mentos offered.

"That sounds cool!" Gohan replied.

Mentos turned around and crouched down, his sights set on the three. "I hope you can keep up, Gohan." he challenged.

"Sure!" Gohan replied evenly, getting into a crouching position as well. Mentos hopped on to one of the tree branches, and Gohan followed his lead. They both ran around the forest, looking for any sign of a wild animal to take out. Most of the wildlife they found was just unappetizing birds, though. Gohan was having fun with this, grateful that he finally found somebody his age to hang out with in his new life.

However, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt he had, knowing what fate had in store for Mentos. He started devising plans in his head on how to possibly help him escape. However, unless this planet had advanced technology that could help him sneak out unnoticed, there wasn't much he could do. The only other option was having Vegeta or the others call in an extra spaceship, but that would mean forcing him to join Frieza's army, something he didn't want for anyone to experience. The young Saiyan decided to take a shot in the dark.

"So, what kind of technology do you guys have on this planet?" Gohan inquired while running alongside of him.

"Eh, nothing all that special; we've been building a big ship that'll be able to take us all into space one day, but it's still in development and probably won't be finished for another five years or so," Mentos answered.

Gohan groaned. That was exactly what he didn't want to hear. Gohan didn't want to leave Mentos in the dark as to what was going to happen to him, but at the same time he knew that Mentos would completely stay away from him if that were the case. Gohan needed something to interact with, and his childish needs were overtaking logical thought.

The young pair stopped when they heard a few loud growls coming from the bushes. "Oh, look, some wolves decided to give us some company!" Mentos said, pointing at the bushes.

Gohan crouched into a defensive position, waiting for the wolves to attack. They instead slowly came out from the bushes. They didn't look too much different from the wolves on earth, although their eyes had a creepy yellow glow and their fangs were much sharper. There were 12 wolves in total, and they all spread out, forming a circle around the boys.

Gohan and Mentos both eyed the wolves tensely, turning so they were facing back-to-back. "I bet I'll take out more of them, Gohan!"

"Wanna bet?" Gohan challenged.

"How about the person with the most kills gets to eat more?" Mentos offered.

"Challenge accepted!"

They both leapt forward…

* * *

><p>Vegeta was in the midst of battling some of the warriors on the planet. The rumbling from earlier was caused by him firing a large Ki blast at a group of fighters in order to have an easier time with them. However, they were all very tenacious. It was one on ten, so Vegeta was going to need to bring out his full power to have a great chance at beating them.<p>

To create a diversion, Vegeta jumped up and fired another blast straight at the ground, creating a cloud of dust. The Prince of All Saiyans skyrocketed into the air and clenched his fists tightly at his sides, getting into a crouching position.

"Now, witness the power of a true Saiyan warrior!" Vegeta shouted from high above.

The band of fighters were all rubbing their eyes and coughing, as the smoke was making it hard to breathe. They heard Vegeta's threat and took it very seriously.

"Man, what should we do? We can't keep this up for long," one of the warriors said to his partner.

His partner coughed a bit before speaking up. "Dammit…he's already been giving us a tough time as he is now. If we let him get to his full power, we're toast! We must stop him!"

Vegeta let out a primal scream as the power began surging around him. He was surrounded by a brilliant light glow, while the power he was releasing caused the whole planet to shake. Recognizing how dire things were about to get, four of the fighters shot up into the sky in attempt to thwart his efforts. However, as soon as they got close to Vegeta, the mere shockwaves triggered by his power jolted them and sent them spiraling back down to the ground.

Vegeta swung his arms up and let out another loud scream. The power he released caused a horrific flash of light, temporarily blinding the group of warriors. When the light faded away, everything was calm again. The sky was bright, the ground was no longer rumbling, and the dust had settled. But it was just the eye of the storm – the storm that was about to be unleashed by the smirking Saiyan prince looking down on them from the sky.

"So, who wants to die first?" Vegeta called out.

One of the fighters swallowed heavily in his throat and turned to his comrades. "Well, it's been nice knowing you guys." he said with a weak smile.

The fighters collectively gasped. "Dentyne, you can't! No!" One of them cried, reaching his arm out.

"I'll see you all in the afterlife," he said before flying up into the sky to fight Vegeta head-on. Vegeta's smirk widened. _Poor fool…_

Dentyne threw his best punch at Vegeta, but the warrior dodged it like he was just taking a walk in the park. Dentyne hissed through his teeth and tried to kick Vegeta, but he phased out of sight. Dentyne looked around, trying to get any sign of Vegeta, but he was nowhere to be found. The prince suddenly phased in right behind him.

"Say goodbye," Vegeta whispered.

Vegeta viciously drove his fist right through Dentyne's back and out of his chest. The warriors shrieked in horror from down below as they watched their ally die before their eyes.

"DENTYNE!" several of them cried.

Vegeta snickered as he removed his now blood-soaked armed from the warrior's lifeless body, allowing him to fall to the ground and land right in front of his comrades. One of them sank to their knees upon seeing Dentyne's cold, lifeless corpse.

"Hey, don't cry on me now! After all, you'll all be meeting your friend again soon!" Vegeta yelled.

The kneeling warrior lifted his head up, allowing his angered tears to fall from his eyes. He looked at Vegeta with pure rage. "Damn you…!"

Without warning, he flew up to Vegeta and furiously threw punches at him. Vegeta laughed as he swatted one of his blows away, breaking the warrior's forearm on impact. He clutched his arm, leaving himself open for the punch to the face Vegeta delivered to him. The force sent him flying back, and Vegeta flew after him, catching up in no time. Roughly grabbing him by the hair to halt his flight, Vegeta fiercely pulled the fighter towards him. He placed his free hand over his chest. His palm started to glow with a lethal Ki.

"Well, it's been fun," Vegeta said in a dangerously low voice.

Another fighter burst into the sky to stop Vegeta, but it was too late. Vegeta fired a bright wave of Ki that shot right through the fighter's chest, destroying his heart. The blast sent him flying off far into the distance.

The group was now thoroughly pissed, wanting to make Vegeta pay for taking not one, but two of their partners. Every single one of them flew up into the sky, looking to take Vegeta's blood. The Saiyan prince cackled maniacally at their sad attempts at killing him. He extended both of his hands out and charged up his Ki. He fired off a shower of Ki blasts, hitting every single fighter head-on. They weren't enough to kill them, but they did manage to throw them off course.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Vegeta licked his lips and smirked sadistically as he took to killing them all one by one. He flew towards one of them and delivered a horrific kick right to his neck, killing him in an instant. Then, to be efficient, he fired a large Ki wave at another one, successfully impaling him. The six remaining fighters furiously flew at him. Vegeta released a burst of energy to rock them back, and then launched himself at another fighter, ruthlessly driving his fist through his stomach as if he were a spear. It was now reduced to one on five.

Vegeta was so caught up in killing that one fighter, though, that he didn't see another one grab him and hook both of his arms. "FIRE, NOW!" he shouted at one of his partners.

The other warrior fired a Ki wave at Vegeta, but the Saiyan expertly swung himself up to avoid the attack, which incinerated his captor. The fighter's corpse fell to the ground as Vegeta grinned darkly at the man who fired the blast, taunting him for inadvertently killing his own partner. He flew at Vegeta and angrily thrust his fist at him, but Vegeta dodged it by simply tilting his head to the side. Roughly grabbing the fighter by his hair, Vegeta pulled him so he was facing him back-first. Vegeta lifted his hand up, but another fighter flew at him. Vegeta pointed a finger at him however, which began glowing with Ki.

"Bang."

He fired the bullet-like blast straight at the fighter, which shot straight through his head. Then, with a swipe of the hand, he sliced the head of the warrior in his grip clean off, now reducing the battle to a mere two on one. Vegeta laughed at the remaining two fighters as he saw their looks of anger contort into those of sheer hopelessness. Sure, they had the advantage in numbers, but it meant nothing. In a horrifically sadistic move, Vegeta launched the severed head of the other fighter straight at one of the remaining ones like a ball. With the force Vegeta threw it at, the head hit him right in the stomach and sunk into it deep. The poor warrior fell to the ground. He was dead before he even landed.

The last remaining fighter was sweating profusely as Vegeta _slowly_ floated towards him.

"And then there was one…" he morbidly joked.

Vegeta stopped until he was mere inches away from the scared warrior, laughing in joy as he observed his sweat covered forehead. Vegeta roughly smacked him with the back of his hand, sending him spiraling down to the ground. Vegeta descended to the surface and stalked towards him. The last fighter had no strength to stand, now groveling on his hands and knees. Vegeta stopped and triumphantly crossed his arms over his chest.

"Give your friends my regards in the afterlife," he said casually.

Vegeta grabbed the warrior by the back of his head and violently wrenched his neck, killing him instantly. Vegeta smirked as he watched his body fall to the floor.

"Well, that takes care of them…" Vegeta said as he looked around, surveying the damage he had done. He ran his scouter again, and, as expected, detected more high power levels off in the distance. They were coming closer to him, too. Vegeta smirked, as they were around the same level as the vermin he just finished killing. Vegeta cracked his neck a little bit and slammed his fists into each other, welcoming more helpless victims.

* * *

><p>In another spot on the planet, Raditz had just finished off the last of the fighters he had to deal with. He was a little bit winded and had a few bruises on his face, but was nonetheless satisfied. His scouter went off when he detected a power level of 3500 heading towards him. His breath shortened, as he had absolutely no chance against a warrior of that caliber. However, he let out a relieved sigh when the figure came closer; it was Nappa.<p>

The bald Saiyan flew down to the ground and laughed at Raditz. "Bet I gave you a good scare, huh?"

"Shut up Nappa," Raditz sneered.

"So, I see you had a good time taking out these fools, huh?" Nappa said, looking on at the corpses lying around the area.

"Did you take out your guys?" Raditz asked.

"Yeah, but more of them are headed our way," Nappa said ominously. "That's why I came to you. They're not _too_ far off from this area, and they're closing in. Their power levels are all around 5,000, so I figured we'd team up."

Raditz almost choked. "Fi-five thousand…?" he rasped out.

"Look, I'll handle the bulk of the work." Nappa said assuredly, trying to relieve Raditz's fears. The Saiyan groaned. "These guys don't know how to quit. We'll have to use the transformations soon."

"Yeah, but Vegeta will probably be pissed. You know he's craving a fair fight with the guy who's at 20,000," Raditz remarked.

"True, but like he said – he'll need us eventually," Nappa chimed in.

Raditz nodded. "How do you think the boy's doing?"

Nappa snickered. "Brat's probably enjoying a good snack or something."

Raditz's scouter went off, detecting the strong power levels coming their way. "They're getting closer."

Nappa took a deep breath and, with one hand, hauled his armor off and tossed it to the side, leaving him in just his trunks. He cracked his knuckles and cranked his neck to the side. "Alright, let's do this!"

* * *

><p>Vegeta wiped some sweat from his forehead. He has just finished off the other batch of warriors in similar fashion, though he was just a tad bit winded. The prince took a seat on the rocky surface of the planet. Shutting his eyes, Vegeta took a deep breath. He could feel an ominous wind trailing through the air, causing his eye to twitch slightly. He could feel it; the strongest fighter on the planet was approaching. As if to confirm his foreboding feeling, his scouter went off. Vegeta opened up one eye and watched as the yellow numbers flashed by. His other eye snapped open in surprise.<p>

"This power level is only at 5,000," he mused out loud. "So then, why do I have this troubling suspicion? I can easily dispose of this warrior!"

A fighter flew in and landed right in front of Vegeta. He had long, blue hair and was wearing a black gi & pants combination. To say the least, he looked very displeased, well aware of the chaos and destruction the Saiyan sitting in front of him had brought about. Vegeta stood up so he was staring at the fighter face to face.

"And just who the hell are you?" Vegeta snarled.

"I am Stride, the one who will put a stop to your terror," the warrior said, his voice booming with confidence.

Vegeta broke out into virulent, uncontrollable laughter, hysterical at the nerve of a fighter with a power level of only 5,000 challenging him. "I didn't know that the people of this planet were capable of telling jokes! What makes a trash bug like you presume that you can defeat _me_?"

Stride shot Vegeta a venomous glare and tightened his fists. "I'm going to wipe that smirk right off of your face!"

Stride spread his legs out a bit and crouched down. A dark, sinister blue aura built around him, channeling the anger and contempt that he had for the man that had killed so many of his allies. Vegeta was now very attent, his devious smile furrowing into a frown. His scouter was going off, the numbers running by fast. Vegeta felt his throat tighten as he watched that original number, 5,000, increase to a level four times as high.

_This is him! _He thought. _To think, he can control his power level in such a way…!_

"What's wrong? Realizing how outmatched you are?" Stride sneered.

Vegeta let a single bead of sweat drop before shaking his head and smirking at the superior warrior. "Hardly; I invite the challenge, in fact!"

"Well then, enough talk! Show me if you're worth anything!" Stride hissed venomously.

"As you wish…" Vegeta replied. He swallowed heavily, knowing that he was weaker than him. However, there was never a challenge that he faced before that he hadn't toppled, and he was going to do it again. Vegeta removed his scouter and gently placed it on the ground.

The two met in a clash in mid-air. Vegeta went for the first strike, trying to nail a high-angle kick headed straight for his temple. However, Stride guarded it with a simple forearm, smirking when he saw Vegeta sneer at him. The Saiyan prince thrust his fist straight at the powerful warrior's face, but was met with the flesh of his palm rather than that of his cheek. Vegeta hissed angrily, but his flustered thoughts were cut off by the punch Stride swung at him. Vegeta ducked and flew back, before launching himself back at Stride. The two engaged in a lightning-fast exchange of attacks, with neither gaining any edge.

Stride tried to punch Vegeta in the sternum, but the slightly outmatched fighter flipped in mid-air to get away from the punch's range. Stride clutched his arms together and flew at Vegeta, his elbow sticking out and looking to do damage. Vegeta crossed his arms over his face to absorb the blow, thought the force still managed to stagger him slightly. Vegeta lowered his arms and swung his leg up, aiming a kick to his jaw that would have torn the head off the shoulders of an incapable fighter. However, Stride missed the wayward kick by flying straight up into the sky.

Vegeta growled in frustration and flew after him. His hand was holding a Ki brimming with flames and he launched it straight at the warrior. Stride jumped out of the way, though the flames managed to singe some of his wrist band. The attack was merely a diversion, however, as Vegeta suddenly phased right behind him and landed a vicious punch straight to his spine. Stride coughed in pain but swung around and looked at Vegeta with venomous eyes before landing a punch of his own right to the royal Saiyan's jaw, launching him in a backwards flight straight into the sky. Vegeta managed to bring his ascent to a halt, but he didn't have any time to defend himself when Stride warped in front of him and slammed both of his fists straight down on to his head, sending him flying straight down.

Vegeta hit the ground so hard the surface cracked beneath him. Swatting away some of the dust around him, Vegeta stood right back up and wiped a trickle of blood spilling down his lips. He looked up and saw Stride floating down to his level, and then gave a smirk of approval. He lived for fights like these; they were the only joy he had while being stuck in his life of slavery under Frieza.

Stride's feet touched the ground and he arrogantly smirked at Vegeta. "Had enough yet?"

Vegeta snorted haughtily and grinned. "Hardly."

Without warning, he punched Stride right in the stomach, doubling him over. With no relent, Vegeta slammed his elbow hard on Stride's back, and to finish it off, kicked him right in the face to send him to the sky. The prince disappeared and phased right in front of Stride and punched him directly in the face, which sent him falling to the ground. However, Stride stopped himself in mid-air and smirked.

"Still not enough!" he taunted.

At speeds Vegeta couldn't even see, Stride shot up at him and rammed his whole arm into Vegeta's body, putting his whole weight into the attack. Vegeta tried to save face by swinging a punch at him, but Stride jumped up and slammed his elbow into Vegeta's shoulder blades. Stride turned so he was facing Vegeta's back, and waited for him to swing around. When he did, Stride, with a swing of his forearm, sent Vegeta spiraling right back down to the ground, where his landing made a large impact.

Vegeta rolled over off of his back and lifted himself up so he was on his hands and knees. The Saiyan slammed his fist into the ground in frustration; this bastard was a step ahead of him. Though the difference in their powers wasn't anything considerable, it insured that Vegeta would be the one having to play catch-up. Once he would give way to exhaustion, Stride would have him easily.

Vegeta shot back up when he heard Stride's feet hit the ground. He scowled at him in contempt. Stride gave him a stern glare.

"Like I said, you're outmatched. Give up while you still can," he warned, his voice calm but firm.

Vegeta's lip curled back in anger over being belittled. "I am the Prince of All Saiyans! I _never_ back down from those who are beneath me!" he indignantly shouted.

"Fine, if you insist on putting forth this wasteful effort, then I will entertain you," Stride snickered.

Vegeta spat at the ground as he realized that there was one course of action left before having to defer to his subordinates. If he put all of his strength behind it, it would do considerable damage and possibly kill him. Vegeta jumped at Stride and tried to punch him, but he jumped out of the way and flew into the air. Vegeta released a burst of Ki, angrily charging it up before flying straight after him. Stride prepared himself for an attack, but was taken aback when Vegeta zipped to the side and then launched himself head-first at him. Vegeta hit him dead-on in the ribs, letting out a satisfied laugh when he heard the sound of bones cracking from the impact. Vegeta snapped his head back up and landed a debilitating punch to Strides jaw that sent him flying backwards. Vegeta took this as the opportunity to launch his trump card. Cuffing both of his hands together, Vegeta began focusing all of his power. His palms were glowing with a bright, pink Ki, with sparks forming around it as well. Vegeta gave a laugh utterly devoid of sanity.

**"GALLICK GUN!"**

Vegeta fired the powerful blast right at Stride. The wave of Ki made a direct hit, triggering a large explosion of light in the process. Vegeta flashed a triumphant smirk; he was sure the blast succeeded in defeating him. Vegeta let out a sigh of relief before lowering to the ground. He looked around and found his scouter, and then picked it up and placed it back on his ear.

However, his look of satisfaction faded away when he saw a familiar figure descending from the cloud of smoke. Vegeta's jaw sank open when he saw Stride coming back down from the sky. His gi was gone, and his body was covered with bruises and burns, but the look in his eyes showed someone who wasn't going down any time soon.

Vegeta irritably hissed. It looked like he was going to have to swallow his pride…

* * *

><p>In the forest, Mentos was rapidly throwing punches at Gohan. He was trying to test his power against him, as in their journey through the forest, Gohan had, more often than not, bested him in their little hunting challenges. Gohan was laughing as he dodged his attacks with ease. Mentos halted his attacks before wiping at his forehead and sitting down, panting heavily.<p>

"Man, Gohan, you're good!" he remarked.

Gohan giggled and settled himself into a seat next to his new friend. "Thanks! You're pretty tough, you know!"

Mentos gave a prideful smile and poked down at the ground. "So, how long have you worked for those jerks?"

"It's been a whole week so far. I was taken away from my home and forced to work with them," Gohan said, visibly tensing up.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, Gohan," Mentos said.

Gohan sighed. "I'm just trying to do the best I can to survive. The three guys I'm with are pretty mean on their own, but our main boss is even _worse_. He's the baddest of the bad," Gohan said, in contempt for Frieza. He had almost completely forgotten why he was even on this planet right now. It had been a few hours since they first landed, but he was having so much fun with Mentos that he didn't even bat an eye at the various occasions where an explosion could be heard or the ground would start shaking.

"The universe is a pretty ugly place, I guess," Mentos groaned.

A minute of silence passed between the two until a loud beep went off. Gohan jumped straight up, seeing that the beep was coming from his scouter.

"Raditz, Nappa, Gohan! Come over to where I'm fighting, and hurry!" Vegeta's voice said through the scouter.

"Who was that?" Mentos asked curiously.

"Vegeta," Gohan replied. He frowned. "Well, it looks like I have to go. It was nice meeting you."

Mentos stood up and shook Gohan's hand. "Likewise; maybe we can meet again someday."

Gohan smiled, but looked down at the ground in shame when he realized that wasn't a possibility.

"Goodbye, Mentos," he said before flying away. Mentos raised an eyebrow; Gohan sounded oddly grim in his last statement. He wrote it off as just typical sadness before running back into the forest.

* * *

><p>Gohan ran his scouter as he pinpointed the location of Vegeta's power level. He blasted off at higher speed and as he drew closer to the battlefield, he could see Nappa and Raditz flying in from the opposite direction. The half-Saiyan nodded and jumped down to the scene. He looked up and saw Vegeta and another warrior embroiled in a fight, and it looked like Vegeta was having trouble keeping up. Nappa and Raditz joined him at the ground.<p>

"Wow, what a fight…" Gohan said.

"Vegeta probably needs our help," Nappa said.

Vegeta and Stride descended to the ground. Vegeta smirked when he saw his three comrades waiting for him, and then turned his attention back to Stride.

"Well, it looks like you're outnumbered now!" Vegeta taunted.

Stride sneered in anger at Vegeta. "You coward!"

Vegeta felt a bit of shame at his words, deep down knowing how much of an act of cowardice this was. However, he didn't want to die here; he couldn't bow out until his true goal was achieved. Vegeta bit down on his bottom lip before turning towards his allies. "Our best bet is surrounding him."

Vegeta looked down towards Gohan. "And you better not puss out of this, boy."

Gohan nodded firmly. "I promise; I'll fight!"

Vegeta and the other two Saiyans laughed. "That's more like it, brat," Vegeta said.

"If you guys want to play the numbers game, then that's fine by me!" Stride challenged. He smirked mischievously. "In fact, I'll raise you!"

The four Saiyans raised suspicious eyebrows. Stride clapped his hands together and raised them to his chin. He then started murmuring some strange spell.

"What the hell is this guy doing…?" Raditz mumbled.

Gohan swallowed in his throat a little while Stride continued chanting his spell. He heard something strange coming from the ground. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz noticed it too, as they all tensed up.

Suddenly, a strange figure sprouted up from the ground. It was a short, black creature, standing upright. Its eyes were glowing a creepy blue. But it wasn't alone; several more started sprouting from the ground, gradually increasing in numbers.

"Those things are like Saibamen!" Nappa pointed out.

More started coming out until there were about 50 of them, give or take. Vegeta shakily raised his arm to press the button on his scouter so he could get a run down on these imps. His eyes dilated and his mouth sunk open when the reading finished.

"What is it, Vegeta…?" Raditz asked nervously.

"They're all…over…n-nine thousand…!" Vegeta said breathlessly.

"NINE THOUSAND?" the other three shouted in unison.

"Th-there's no way…that can't be right at all!" Nappa shouted in horror.

Gohan felt like a 50 ton anvil was dropped onto his shoulders. There was absolutely no way they could handle so many of these guys, especially with _that much_ power.

Stride laughed maniacally. "Now, do you see? What happens when you mess with _our_ planet? You have angered the _Stimorol_ greatly, and they will now tear you apart."

Vegeta didn't even have to give a second thought as to what he was about to do. He lifted his arm and formed a bright, white, ball of light. Nappa and Raditz recognized it very well, though Gohan was confused. Vegeta's knees buckled slightly as he felt his power drop, but he quickly regained his bearings. The _Stimoral_, as they were called, began charging at them. With great speed, Vegeta shot the light ball straight into the sky. He then raised his arm out.

"Burst open and blend!" He shouted, clenching his fingers.

The ball exploded into a blinding, white light, causing Gohan to shut his eyes. The light faded away and Gohan looked at the ball in awe, until something strange happened.

All four Saiyans let out animalistic roars. Their canines grew, their eyes turned into a bright red glow, and fur began growing around their skin. They all suddenly exploded in size as the Stimoral all stopped dead in their tracks. Stride froze, looking on at the sight in both horror and awe.

Standing before them now were four enormous, armor-clad apes, ready to destroy.

"You were saying…?" Vegeta taunted, his voice now deep and gravelly, and booming throughout the atmosphere.

Only he and Nappa were in control of themselves, while Gohan and Raditz immediately went to work on utterly annihilating everything around them. Letting out ferocious screams, Gohan and Raditz smashed at anything near them; cliffs, trees, anything was fair game for their primal fury. They smashed their feet on any of the doomed Stimorol that dared attacking them, while also firing immense red blasts at the ground from their mouths. The blasts set the nearby forests ablaze.

Vegeta and Nappa's attacks were more controlled, however, effortlessly swatting the tiny creatures off of them. Vegeta turned his attention to Stride.

"Not so confident now, are you?" the beast taunted.

Before Stride could even lift himself into the air, Vegeta grabbed him with his massive hand. Vegeta hauled him up to him and tightened his grip around the warrior, laughing at his loud, agonized screams. Vegeta squeezed even harder, reveling in the satisfying sounds of bones crunching.

"C-curse you…!" Stride spat out.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I didn't quite hear you over the sounds of your bones breaking!" Vegeta shouted in amusement.

Vegeta could practically feel Stride's arms and legs turning into rubber. "And now, to put you out of your misery!"

Vegeta placed his other hand above the one grabbing Stride and clenched it tightly. He was trying to grid Stride's bones into dust. When he heard the howls of pain die down, he eased his grip, releasing his hand and growling in satisfaction when he saw Stride laying lifelessly in his grip, broken beyond all recognition. He dropped the fallen warrior and then began taking out what was left of the planet's people, firing blasts that stretched out for miles.

Gohan had done considerable damage as well, crushing numerous horrified aliens beneath his feet. The Saiyans rampage raged on for a few more moments until Vegeta was sure they had thoroughly cleared the place of all of its life.

Vegeta raised his arm in the direction of the artificial moon and clenched his fist tightly. The light exploded, causing another bright flash. When the light faded, the fake moon was gone. The Saiyans all began reducing in size, until they were back in their normal forms. Gohan slipped unconscious, falling to the floor, while the three other Saiyans remained standing.

Vegeta looked around, surveying the amount of chaos ensuing on the once calm planet. The sky was now covered in thick clouds of smoke from the raging fires going on all over the small planet.

"Looks like we did one helluva number on this place huh?" Nappa snickered.

"Our work here is done. Man, I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" Raditz said joyously.

However, Vegeta was looking off to the left, intensely staring at something that caught his interest. "No, not yet; there's still one more."

Nappa and Raditz looked in Vegeta's direction and saw what they figured was what Vegeta was talking about. Lying on the ground a few feet off into the distance was a little boy, crawling for his life.

Nappa licked his lips in anticipation of one last kill. "Oh yeah, I love it when one slips under the cracks!"

Raditz snickered and grabbed Vegeta's shoulder. "Don't worry, prince, we'll handle this one."

Nappa and Raditz stepped forward, and Vegeta was about to allow them to carry out the kill until a sudden idea came to his head. He grabbed both of his comrades by the shoulders and pushed them back.

"Wait, don't do it; I have somebody else in mind for the job," Vegeta directed. He turned around and looked at Gohan, who was still unconscious and lying face-down on the ground.

_Time to get your hands dirty, kid._

Raditz and Nappa's eyes lit up in realization. "Ah, you're gonna have the brat do it! Good idea, Vegeta!" Raditz howled.

Vegeta walked over to Gohan and picked him up by the hair. He harshly slapped him across the face in an effort to wake him up.

Gohan's eyes shot open from the impact. He flinched a little bit when he saw Vegeta staring him right in the face. The half-Saiyan then looked around at the area, startled by the amount of damage done. There were fires blazing about, corpses lying around, and once-standing trees now torn down.

"Wh-what happened…?" Gohan muttered.

Vegeta marched over to where the little kid was and turned Gohan around so he was facing in his direction. "We have a survivor, kid," Vegeta said.

Gohan immediately recognized the boy by his clothes and bushy hair.

"M-mentos?"

Mentos rolled over on his back, gasping in shock when he saw the boy currently being held up by the frightening looking flame-haired man in front of him.

"Goha-"

He was cut off by Nappa's obnoxious laughter. "Looks like the brat made himself a friend!"

"Please, Vegeta…don't hurt him!" Gohan pleaded.

Vegeta snickered. "Oh, don't worry, _I_ won't hurt him - _you_ will."

Gohan's heart skipped a beat. Mentos swallowed heavily, overcome with fear.

"But why…?"

"Frieza's specific orders were to clear this planet of _all_ of its life. We can't let a single one slip under the rug, boy," Vegeta said, purposefully explaining it with obtuse practicality. The prince lightly dropped him down to the ground and pushed him forward. "Now do it."

Gohan swallowed heavily, looking at Mentos with apprehension. "I…I can't, Vegeta. He's my friend!" the half-Saiyan protested.

"Friends don't matter in this world, brat," Vegeta said, his voice ice cold. "The only things that exist are the strong, and the weak. Now hurry up and do it before I get impatient."

Gohan felt a shiver running down his spine, conflicted over whether to follow orders or not. He did _not_ want to become a monster like Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. Killing people was _wrong_. He felt like he had completely betrayed Mentos.

"I won't do it…" Gohan stammered.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously at the four year old. "Do you dare defy a direct order, half-breed?"

"I WON'T DO IT!"

Vegeta lifted his arm and gathered a deadly blue ki to his palm, aiming it right at the back of Gohan's head. "Last chance before I make you join the rest of this planet's population," Vegeta threatened in a dangerously calm voice. He motioned his head towards Nappa, silently giving him an order. Nappa walked over to Mentos and roughly grabbed him by the hair, raising him up off the ground.

"Do it."

Gohan raised a shaky hand up, aiming it at Mentos. His heart sank when he saw the look of terror, and _expectancy_ etched across his new friend's face. He could see in the boy's eyes how betrayed he felt. Gohan knew that Vegeta would have no qualms about killing him if he didn't do exactly as ordered. His hand now glowing with Ki, Gohan tried to look Mentos directly in the eye. His vision was now blurry, clouded by the fresh tears glistening in his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry..." he choked out.

He fired. The blast hit Mentos dead-on as he screamed in pain and horror. The blast disintegrated his body. All that remained of him were ashes.

"There, now was that so hard?" Vegeta asked in mock innocence.

A wave of nausea hit Gohan as he lost all of his strength to stand. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, now letting the tears flow freely. Gohan was shaking violently, rocked by the guilt of what he had done. He had taken an innocent life. An actual person. His _friend_. Gone by his very hand. He could tell himself all he wanted that it was because Vegeta told him to, but that still didn't change the fact that he _did it._

While Nappa and Raditz laughed at the now scarred young boy, Vegeta looked down at him with a studious gaze. He knew that the boy was completely broken, but it was something that he had to do. Frieza had instructed _him_ to teach the boy how to survive, and being able to kill without the bat of an eye was one of the keys.

And not only that, but Gohan would become a _truly_ powerful ally once he was desensitized to killing. Just like him.

The prince finally spoke up. "Now, Frieza's going to want us to clean the place up. Normally, he'd inform his subordinates of whether he was bringing a clean-up squad or not, but he usually foregoes telling _us_. Bastard usually uses it as an excuse to punish us for not being thorough for his sick delight," Vegeta said bitingly.

Vegeta grabbed the groveling half-breed by his hair and forced him up, taking a good look at his eyes. They were still covered in tears. "Saiyans do not cry, boy! Stop it at once!" he harshly commanded.

Gohan didn't even seem to hear him. Vegeta snorted irritably. "Whatever. Just hurry and get to cleaning the bodies up."

Gohan silently nodded and walked away. The boy was rendered incapable of even forming words in his mouth, moving almost mechanically. He wondered how he ever got stuck with these…_monsters._ This was a terrible life he was stuck in, one that threatened to break his fragile soul completely.


	4. Breakdown

After properly disposing of the corpses on Planet Trident, the Saiyans decided to take a good rest before heading back to Planet Frieza to report. However, one Saiyan didn't succumb to sleep at all. Gohan spent the seven or so hours doing nothing but staring at the ground blankly, still wracked with guilt over what he had done. He should have told Mentos from the start what was going to happen to him - all he did in the end was betray him. The worst part was the fact that he did it with _his own hand; _Gohan didn't even want to live with himself anymore. His mother and father tried to instill values in him during the relatively short time he spent on Earth, and even though he didn't have a choice in the manner, he had completely violated them.

The half-Saiyan felt a pang of anger building within him over everything – this senseless world, and especially the people in it. He had somewhat respected Vegeta for his mental fortitude and commanding presence, but that had all been thrown to the wayside; he now knew he was a monster, one who had no qualms about ruthlessly killing anything from weaker fighters to _children_. And then there was Raditz, who forcefully tossed him in this mess in the first place. Everything irritated him to no end, and while he could try to escape, he would get caught eventually.

Gohan overheard the sound of yawning, but didn't even move his head to see what it was, his eyes still glued to the ground.

"I can see you're already up, brat," a familiar, gruff voice said from a few feet away. Gohan's jaw flexed at the sound of that man's voice – _Vegeta_, the one who forced him to kill his own friend. He didn't even bother to look him in his eyes, as he was sure he would say or do something he would regret in the end.

Vegeta stared at Gohan, waiting for a response. Instead, the half-breed continued staring aimlessly at the ground, as if he never even heard him. The prince recognized that blank, exasperated gaze, but it had no effect on him. Vegeta knew very well that Gohan was going to be devastated by having to kill, thanks to the pacifistic nature he inherited from the mudball, but it didn't matter. Gohan had a lot to learn, and it was Vegeta's job to push away his childish naivety and turn him into a warrior.

Better he do it than Frieza; that was for sure.

Vegeta finally grunted indifferently before making sure Nappa and Raditz were awake. Once that was done, he pulled out a remote from his armor and pressed a button. Just a few seconds later, all four of the Saiyans' space pods flew over to their area and landed before them. Nappa and Raditz got into theirs, while Gohan didn't even move from the ground.

Vegeta sighed in annoyance. "Get up, boy. We're leaving" he said calmly.

Gohan didn't move.

Growing more irritable, Vegeta tried again. "I said get up."

Gohan didn't move.

Vegeta growled and kicked Gohan in the leg. "Get up, now, unless you want this planet to serve as your graveyard!"

Without responding, Gohan slowly stood up, not offering so much as a glance in Vegeta's direction. He slowly walked to his pod and sat down in it. Once the door closed, Vegeta got into his pod. Gohan sank his head into his hands as he felt the now familiar feeling of his pod blasting off into the vastness of space. He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he arrived back at home base, but he was going to try and maintain control of himself.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, their pods hit the landing pads, confirming they were back. Gohan got out of his pod and walked towards the building with his head slumped down. He ignored almost everything in his presence, practically wandering aimlessly. He was cut off when Vegeta grabbed him by the shoulder.<p>

"Nappa, Raditz, and I are going to the medical room to get our wounds fixed up. It's nothing that would require a rejuvenation chamber, so it should take a bit. Wait here, understood?" he ordered.

Gohan didn't reply and instead leaned against the wall before taking a seat. Vegeta rolled his eyes and went to the medical room. Vegeta and the others returned 45 minutes later; their faces were cleaned up, and although there were a few bandages, they looked fine. They also had on new armor. Vegeta gave a satisfied nod when he saw Gohan still sitting where he was before he left.

"We're going to report to Frieza now. Get up," Vegeta directed.

Gohan got up from the floor and waited for the trio to walk ahead of him. He followed them until they reached the shiny metallic doors that served as the entrance to Frieza's throne room. Already waiting for them before the doors was Zarbon.

"There is no need for you to report, yet," Zarbon said. "Lord Frieza is off performing duties with his father and Cooler, and should be back here by tomorrow."

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz nodded in response, and then Zarbon added, "You all should get some lunch. I'm sure such a high level purge has left you guys feeling rather…_parched,_" he said with a snicker.

Nappa growled and took a challenging step forward, but Vegeta's arm blocked his path. He shook his head towards Nappa, silently directing him to calm his temper. Zarbon chuckled in response, satisfied by how he successfully riled them up.

The Saiyans headed towards the mess hall, although they were missing one. Gohan walked in the opposite direction. Taking notice, Nappa turned around.

"Hey, kid, aren't you gonna eat?" he called out.

Gohan didn't reply and continued walking. "Well…?" Nappa asked.

Gohan suddenly turned around and shot Nappa an angry glare. "I don't want to!" he growled.

Vegeta and Raditz both turned around. The three Saiyans stared at Gohan intensely; the boy had an angry, hateful look coursing through his eyes that would rival even Vegeta's. The tension was thick; both sides kept up their staring contest until Nappa broke the silence with his boisterous laughter.

"That's the spirit, kid!" he howled before turning around and heading to the hall. Raditz did as well, although Vegeta gave Gohan one last look. Gohan's scowl deepened as Vegeta continued looking at him. The prince grunted and turned back around, following his subordinates.

Gohan hissed angrily before turning back around and marching towards the room where his cot was. In his trail, he bumped into two soldiers.

"Hey, watch where you're going, stupid monkey!" the green one sneered.

"Get out of my way," Gohan grit out.

"Look, here, we have a spirited one. You better watch how you speak to me," the green alien warned.

Gohan growled in anger and the scouter of the more human-like alien went off. "Whoa, this kid's power level is at 1550; I think it'd be a good idea to get out of his way."

The green one curtly nodded and stepped to the side, not wanting to get on the bad side of the half-Saiyan. Horror stories about the firecracker that was Vegeta in his youth had always circulated throughout the army, and they didn't want to tempt another irritated Saiyan child too.

Gohan sighed and walked to the room, where he took a seat on his cot. He took a tight grip of his legs and growled. His irritation was growing rapidly; he had even entertained the thought of escaping by force until realizing how stupid the plan was. All he knew was that everything about this place made his blood boil. The Saiyan boy could feel his Ki flaring up uncontrollably and subconsciously gripped harder at his pants leg as a result. It was going to be a long day, and he was growing increasingly unsure of his ability to control his temper.

After training with Saibamen for a few hours, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz arrived at the sleeping room, where Gohan was currently sitting. The Saiyan trio decided to call it a day so they could hurry up and get their next assignment. Seeing the other Saiyans lay down on their cots, Gohan decided to do the same. However, whatever ability he had to sleep was seemingly lost. The half-Saiyan shut his eyes, practically trying to force himself to sleep. All he could think about was what had happened on Planet Trident and his anger.

Vegeta could overhear Gohan's agitated hisses; he knew full and well that Gohan was struggling to go to sleep. That boy was much too soft. He was letting a single, simple kill consume him with anguish. It was quite obvious that those fools on earth and more importantly, Kakarot, had taught him how to be a soft-hearted idiot, leaving him ill-prepared for the difficulty of a life like this. If Gohan was ever to become a useful ally like how his growing power level promised, he was going to have to learn a thing or two.

Sighing, Vegeta got up and walked over to Gohan's cot. "Get up, half-breed."

Predictably, Gohan ignored him, so Vegeta roughly yanked him up by the hair. "We're going to train."

"No," Gohan shot back.

"You've been annoying me with your insolence lately, kid. Now get the hell up and follow me," Vegeta said with a growl.

Vegeta let go of Gohan's hair and looked at him expectantly. Gohan sighed and dusted off his armor and got up to his feet. Vegeta grunted and turned around, with Gohan trailing behind him. They made it to the training room, where Vegeta closed the door from behind him. Gohan stood in the middle of the room, looking very uncomfortable and agitated. Vegeta folded his arms and stared at the half-Saiyan, surveying his awkward disposition.

"Hit me," Vegeta directed.

Gohan looked at Vegeta in confusion. Usually, Vegeta would start off the training sessions.

"Well, what are you waiting for, brat?" Vegeta snarled.

Gohan's eyes twitched. He jumped at Vegeta and aimed a punch at his head, but Vegeta easily dodged it and punched Gohan in the jaw, sending him to the floor.

"You're much too slow. Hit me again."

Gohan growled in frustration and shot back up to his feet, and this time went for a kick to Vegeta's jaw. However, Vegeta nonchalantly swatted his leg down and punched him in the face, sending him right back down to the cold surface.

"Try again."

Gohan grew angrier, his loathing towards Vegeta growing even further. He got back up and ran at Vegeta with renewed vigor, looking to land a blow to Vegeta's stomach. The Saiyan prince caught Gohan's tiny fist with his palm.

"You're much too weak, brat," Vegeta snorted, "Weak and not worth my time."

Gohan angrily hissed through his teeth and sent more attacks Vegeta's away, all of which were expertly defended.

"I hate you…I _hate_ you, Vegeta!" Gohan feverishly shouted.

"Really, now?" Vegeta replied with dull surprise. "Everybody in this damn army hates me besides Nappa and Raditz; and even they would turn the tables on me should they ever amass the power to do so," Vegeta said as if it were some everyday fact.

Gohan shook his head in despair. He was sure of it – Vegeta was _insane_. How he could talk about this terrible place with such a conversational tone was unfathomable. Growing irritated, Gohan aimed a kick at Vegeta's face, but he grabbed Gohan's foot and used it to pull towards him before landing a fist to the half-breed's face.

"You are way too soft, kid," Vegeta remarked. "It's about time you dropped your stupid little morals. None of that matters anymore; if you keep up your pacifistic aversion to violence, you're going to get chewed up and spat out in this organization."

"It's _wrong_, Vegeta!" Gohan shouted in exasperation.

"Oh, is that so? And who told you that bullshit, your low class dog of a father? Face it, kid: he's never coming back. He's _nothing_," Vegeta callously said.

"SHUT UP!" Gohan shouted, with tear-stained eyes. Now overcome with rage, Gohan charged at Vegeta with surprising speed and furiously threw punches at him. Vegeta blocked them all and squeezed both of his arms. Then, slinging the boy over his shoulders, Vegeta tossed him into the wall.

"You listen to me when I'm talking to you, boy!" Vegeta snarled.

Gohan glared at Vegeta but remained seated behind the wall.

"Listen clearly – your days of living in peace on Earth are long since over. You can cry to me all you want about how you were forced into this, but it doesn't matter. You are here and you have to deal with it. All of that bullshit you were taught on Earth _doesn't matter _anymore. _This_ is your life now; and if you ever plan on surviving, you're going to have to forget all of your stupid mantras about how bad violence and killing are," Vegeta said, making sure every last word rang loud and clear in the four year old's head.

Gohan didn't respond, instead staring blankly at the floor. He didn't want to believe what Vegeta was saying. No matter how much the Saiyan spun it, it was wrong. Gohan didn't want to become a bad person; he still wanted to believe that his father would come and break him out of here, impossible though it may be.

But Vegeta _was_ right – if he ever was going to live long enough in this new world, then getting blood on his hands may eventually become a necessity.

Understanding of Gohan's lack of response, Vegeta decided to resume training him. "Now get up. If you're going to get anywhere in survival, you're going to have to get stronger."

Gohan sheepishly nodded and reluctantly got to his feet. Despite his nervous twitching, he crouched into a fighting stance…

* * *

><p>The next day, Gohan was awoken by Nappa. "Get up, kid. Frieza's back and we have to report the results of our mission," Nappa explained, "And get yourself a fresh set of armor, too."<p>

Gohan nodded and went to one of the closets, finding a clean version of the armor he was so used to wearing now. Gohan changed into the uniform and walked out into the hallway. He found his three comrades, who were all waiting for him. Vegeta nodded in approval before leading the way towards Frieza's throne room. One of Frieza's servants opened up the large, metallic doors for the Saiyan quartet.

They walked into the large room. The scene was typical; on the far left and right was Zarbon and Dodoria, and in the middle of them was the sinister tyrant himself, Frieza. The four Saiyans got down on one knee. Gohan's browed furrowed and his jaw tightened; the boy suddenly felt a wave of hate rise in him, all of it directed at the figure sitting in his floating chair and observing the four Saiyans.

"Lord Frieza, Planet Trident has been successfully purged of all of its life," Vegeta reported "We have also thoroughly cleaned the planet up of all of its corpses so it can be suitable for sale."

Frieza playfully chuckled in response. "Oh my, there was no need to take such additional action, Vegeta. I was going to send a clean-up squad to take care of that!"

Vegeta growled low in his throat, quickly losing his patience for his master's typical games. Frieza's smirk widened upon seeing the visible irritation on the Saiyan's face.

"Ah, it looks like I forgot to inform you of that little detail. How unfortunate," Frieza said with a sigh, as if he didn't forgo telling them that on purpose.

"I must say, I am surprised at how quickly you all completed the purge," the tyrant said with vigor. "I thought some of the strongest warriors on that planet would end up being too much for you. I need not doubt that you all resorted to those _reprehensible_ giant ape forms, surely?"

The anger once again flared throughout Gohan. He grit his teeth in frustration, trying to hold on to his control.

Frieza laughed again. The throaty, dark sound of his cackles rang throughout the air and served to anger the four Saiyans even further. "You see, that is why I keep you all around. Though you are uncivilized, third world, glorified _animals_, you are incredibly efficient when need be." The mocking admiration behind his virulent words made Vegeta dig his fist that was currently set down on the floor into the surface. Oh, how that bastard enjoyed flaring up his temper just so he could punish him in the end.

The lizard tyrant took a sip of the delicious new wine he had acquired on his trip with his father and brother as he studiously gazed at the four Saiyans kneeling before him. Just as he always mused, it truly was the correct position for them. In his eyes, they were nothing but worthless trash whose only purpose in life was to serve him at their hands and feet.

Frieza directed his attention to the youngest of the four. "So, Gohan, how does it feel to have successfully completed your first purge? It must have been so delightful to have finally gotten your hands dirty!"

Gohan's cheeks reddened in anger and he set his eyes to the floor. He could feel what little control he had left slipping. His forehead drenched in sweat, his fists clenched so tightly that his fingers were piercing the flesh of his hands, Gohan clamped down on his teeth as hard as he could.

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were angry as well; however, they had decades of experience with Frieza's personality. It was like playing a game, a maze. Frieza would constantly bait them, seeing how far he could push the Saiyans until they finally snapped and lashed out. Gohan didn't have that experience, unfortunately, and if Frieza's game continues, the breaking point may be reached.

Frieza expertly read the look on Gohan's face. That look – he could remember that same one etched on a younger Vegeta's face clear as day, as if the Prince had only jumped into adulthood within the last hour. It gave the tyrant great joy to have another Saiyan child he could push and toy with at his leisure.

"Oh my, I can see you are a bit temperamental, young lad," Frieza remarked with mock concern. "What, pray tell, has you so down in the dumps?"

Gohan couldn't take it anymore. That damned voice. That damned feigned affability. It was making the four year old Saiyan lose grip on all of his constraints. Not even caring what consequences his actions would bring him, Gohan growled angrily.

"SHUT UP!"

The room went silent.

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz's heads snapped up. They all swallowed heavily in their throats. All four of the Saiyans' sets of eyes were widened in shock, to see the normally meek boy suddenly mustering up the balls to lash out at _Frieza._

Zarbon and Dodoria snarled at the boy. The boss himself, however, remained calm. With narrowed eyes, Frieza once again stared Gohan down.

"_What_ did you just say, boy?" Frieza asked, his voice dangerously low.

Not seeming to notice nor care about the sinister look in the tyrant's eyes, Gohan shot up to his feet. With his fists tightly clenched at his sides, Gohan glared at Frieza with pure contempt. "Just shut up! Your voice is irritating me!" he indignantly shouted.

"Gohan, no…!" Vegeta called out. All he was doing was digging himself into a deeper hole.

Zarbon growled. "You stupid monkey, do you not realize who you're t-"

Frieza cut the green alien off with a dismissive hand. "Silence, Zarbon." The tyrant's voice was downright sinister in its deepness. His demeanor appeared calm, but the dark glare he was directing at Gohan said otherwise. Frieza stepped out of his chair.

"Zarbon, can you place my wine on the table behind me?" he asked, his evil drawl not faltering for even a second.

"Yes, sire," Zarbon replied, taking the wine glass from Frieza's hand and setting it down on the table.

Gohan's knees buckled beneath him. His previous anger was now forgotten; he was now very aware of the dark eyes looming over him, giving him complete chills.

Frieza turned his attention to the eldest Saiyans. "You three – get out. _Now_."

Not even giving a second thought, the trio stood up and headed for the door. Before Vegeta left, however, he gave Gohan a look over his shoulder. His left eye gave a slight twitch.

_Be strong, kid._

Vegeta turned around and left the room, leaving Gohan all alone with the three aliens.

Gohan felt his will to even live fade away as Frieza _slowly _stalked towards him. That look – it could make the mightiest warriors, even the Gods themselves, cower in fear and plead for mercy. It left no imagination as to the hell he was going to reign over the four year old Saiyan.

"Truthfully, I should have seen this coming sooner," Frieza mused, his voice now casual again. "It really is a trait common among the whole lot of you monkeys. So forgetful of your place," he sneered. Frieza clasped his hands behind him and slowly circled around Gohan, observing him as his shivering intensified.

"You didn't really think your insubordination wouldn't go unpunished, did you?" Frieza inquired, his voice ice cold. He brought his steps to a halt when he was standing directly behind the terrified half-breed.

Gohan's breathe shortened. He could practically _feel_ the menacing glare Frieza was giving him from behind him. He suddenly collapsed on his hands and knees, however, when he felt a sharp pain hit him as a result of the tyrant ruthlessly driving his knee into his spine. It was the worst pain he had ever felt; Gohan could feel himself slipping out of consciousness, and was basically _inviting_ it. Even if he would never wake up from it, _anything_ that would spare him of the pain pulsating throughout his body would be great.

Frieza circled around Gohan again until he was standing in front of him. He looked down at the agony-stricken boy with a satisfied smirk. However, the fun was just beginning. Frieza turned to Dodoria.

"Dodoria, remove the boy's armor," he calmly directed.

The pink minion did as directed, sliding Gohan's armor over his head and roughly tossing it to the floor. Frieza knelt down and grabbed Gohan by the collar and pulled him up, staring him directly in the eyes. Gohan's eyes were half-lidded; he looked like he was going to fall out any second. Looking at Frieza from a distance was frightening enough, but now looking at those cold, icy eyes mere inches from his own was absolutely terrifying. It was almost as if he was meeting the grim reaper himself.

Frieza darkly grinned. "Now, now, boy, stay with me," he said in a sing-song tone. "Your punishment isn't over just yet."

Frieza looked at his two subordinates and motioned his head towards Gohan. Zarbon and Dodoria nodded and each grabbed one of Gohan's arms, and then raised him up so he was hanging by his knees.

"Now, the next part of your punishment requires your chest and back to be exposed. Seeing as how you're wearing a bodysuit, I will unfortunately have to remove it the hard way," Frieza casually said.

Gohan instinctively tried to pull himself away from Zarbon and Dodoria's grip, but it was no use. His head was drenched in sweat, and now all of those things Vegeta told him about crying had been thrown to the wayside. Fresh tears flowed from both of his eyes, brought on by the terror Frieza had stricken in him.

Frieza darkly chuckled. "Splendid; tears never cease to be delightful."

Frieza raised a single finger, pointing it at Gohan's chest. It began glowing with a small, pink light, which caused Gohan to once again attempt to escape from his grip.

"P-please…!" he begged, now desperate for this to be over.

Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria all laughed in response. "Oh my, begging now, are we? You should have thought about that before you mouthed off, boy," he said through a maniacal cackle.

He looked at Gohan with a sinister smirk, with everything seemingly darkening around him. "I'm afraid your pleading won't get you out of your situation now, you simian trash."

Frieza fired. The hot-pink blast struck Gohan in the shoulder, burning through the fabric of his suit and singing his skin. Gohan hissed through his teeth as he felt the sheer heat eat at his flesh.

Without warning, Frieza fired another pink blast, this one much larger and hitting him in the stomach area. The pain from this blow was much more intense, causing Gohan to cough and heave violently. The heat from this blast felt significantly worse than the last one, as Gohan's stomach area flushed a bright red. Frieza laughed again, proud of the work he had done.

Gohan wanted to die. This was pure, cold blooded _torture_. He now completely understood why Vegeta had constantly spoken of Frieza with such bitter contempt. This man was a true monster. He could already feel his skin blistering from the severe burns dealt by the lizard tyrant's blasts.

However, the job wasn't done yet. There was still plenty left of the top half of Gohan's black suit. Looking at Gohan's smoky skin with joy, Frieza raised his finger once more. Gohan stared at the pink glow, seemingly packed with his worst nightmares. Frieza fired.

Again,

And again,

And again,

And again,

And again,

And again.

Whatever was left of the top half of Gohan's bodysuit had been singed. The room had a small cloud of smoke floating throughout it; it all came from the badly burned skin of the devastated half-Saiyan still being held up by Zarbon and Dodoria. His agonized gasps could be heard even from behind the closed, metallic doors, undoubtedly being caught by his Saiyan comrades. He was only even awake through subconscious willpower.

Frieza sighed in content. "Ah, fantastic! You are now perfectly settled for the next stage of your punishment, Gohan!" he said with sadistic delight.

Gohan sunk in Zarbon and Dodoria's arms, dreading whatever was next in store.

"Now, I do hope that you survive this one," Frieza said grimly, but his feigned politeness still ringing through his voice. "It would be a true _tragedy_ for me to lose such an adorable little monkey!"

Frieza turned to his left, facing in the direction of a door. "Follow me, Zarbon and Dodoria. You know where we're headed next."

The two warriors nodded, following Frieza's lead as they kept Gohan in their grip, allowing his knees to slide and scrape against the gravelly surface. They stopped when they reached a dark, barren room. The only things present in it were a set of shackles hanging from the ceiling, and a set of various whips.

Zarbon hauled Gohan up and locked both of his hands into the shackles, leaving the poor demi-Saiyan dangling from the ceiling with his hands above his head. Only one of his eyes was open; the other was snapped shut. He was panting heavily and fighting back the bile rising to his throat from the smell of his badly burned skin. Through his cloudy vision, he could see Frieza retrieving one of the many whips from a bundle of them. Smirking devilishly, Frieza fiercely swung the long strand of cord down. The sound of the whip cracking rang through Gohan's ears, making him sweat even more heavily.

Frieza held up the whip so that it was clear in Gohan's vision. "Now, since this is only your first time, I shall go easy on you. I'll only use the _standard_ whip."

Gohan shuddered in fear. Frieza chuckled as he began to slowly circle Gohan, observing the damage he had done so far. His body was already covered with burns and lacerations from his "unclothing."

It was about to get _much_ worse.

"I do hope you understand why I am doing this, boy," Frieza began, once again slipping into the false politeness that he had mastered. "I do this with the hope that you will _never_ mouth off to me again. After all, to move forward, one must learn the error of their ways first!"

Frieza lazily placed one of his hands on Gohan's shoulder. The coldness of his palm was a sharp contrast from the heat that was practically smoldering Gohan's skin, but it wasn't soothing at all. The lizard tyrant sighed dramatically. "It's such a shame; you would never have to experience this if you just remained an obedient little boy. Alas, the only way they learn is through twenty lashes." Frieza removed his hand and pulled the one holding the whip back.

With a fury that could only be harnessed by the most feared tyrant in the universe, Frieza swung the whip down hard onto Gohan's back. The sheer force of the strike caused Gohan to violently spasm and nearly choke on his own spit. The whip burned him even worse than the blasts, which he didn't even think was possible. The four year old could feel his back slowly ripping open, which was confirmed by the warm liquid that began flowing down it.

Frieza groaned in false disappointment. "And here I thought you were going to scream. You certainly are a tough one!"

He swung it again, mercilessly thrashing Gohan's shoulders. The force of the blow nearly caused the shackles holding Gohan up to fall from the ceiling. Gohan bit down on his bottom lip so hard he cut it open, now having yet another area on his body spilling blood. The entire area around Gohan's right shoulder was bright red and pulsing badly. The tread marks of the whip were already beginning to form, bringing a satisfied smirk from the icy tyrant.

"Still no screams, I see. Vegeta really has taught you well," Frieza marveled. "Like they say, monkey see, monkey do!"

Using even more force than the previous two lashes, Frieza rained down another unholy whip, this time hitting Gohan in his abdomen area. Gohan let out a strained gasp and coughed violently, but didn't scream at all. Frieza frowned; he was so close! Frieza raised a finger to his chin as he pondered some way to bring out those yelps of agony. His eyes lit up when he discovered the perfect place to hit.

With renewed vigor, Frieza pulled his arm far back, this time using strength that would make the previous hits look like child's play. Frieza viciously smacked the wire across Gohan's lower back area, only a mere centimeter above Gohan's tail. _That_ was enough to make Gohan let out an anguished scream. It felt like his legs were severed from beneath him. Frieza callously laughed, delighted at how he discovered the proverbial sweet spot.

The tyrant whipped the area again and again, howling in laughter. The sounds of Gohan's blood curdling screams were like a cacophony of pain and suffering, motivating Frieza to strike with greater strength each time.

By the time Frieza was nearing the twentieth strike, Gohan had lost the strength in his vocal cords to even let out screams, instead desperately heaving for air. He wasn't even sure how he was conscious at the moment. It was like some evil God was keeping him up so he could feel every agonizing second of this suffering.

"And now, magic number 20!" Frieza yelled, his voice devoid of sanity.

Frieza slammed the wire one more time across Gohan's back. It was the strongest blow yet. Gohan coughed up blood as he began violently convulsing. Frieza gave a smirk of satisfaction as he looked on at Gohan's badly wounded back; it was a mess of welts, burns, tread marks, and crimson. It was beautiful, almost – like a painting Frieza hand crafted to convey pure suffering.

Frieza walked around Gohan until he was facing him. Gohan's face was a mess – the area around his mouth and jaw was stained with spit and blood, and his forehead was damp with sweat. His bangs were practically glued to his head from all of it. Only his right eye was open, and that was barely as it was. The child's head sunk, but Frieza grabbed him by the chin and forced it back up.

"Now, there is still one last step of your punishment." Frieza laughed when he saw Gohan's face tense up. "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing physical! It's just that I'm rather offended by one particular comment you made. You see, I'm very sensitive when it comes to my voice, and I don't take it too well when someone calls it annoying, especially a sniveling _monkey_ like you.

"So that is why I shall have you acquainted with the concept of solitary confinement!" Frieza turned to Zarbon, who had watched the whole thing go down. "You, retrieve the boy's armor. Dodoria, loosen his shackles."

Dodoria unlocked the shackles holding Gohan's arms. Had it not been for Frieza's grip of his jaw, he would have succumbed to the pain and exhaustion and fell right then and there. As it was, however, he sank to his knees.

Zarbon soon returned with Gohan's armor and slid it down his head. "I'm assuming you know where the box is by now, right?" Frieza asked, handing Zarbon what appeared to be a leash and collar. Zarbon grabbed it and forcefully placed the collar around Gohan's neck, and kept a tight grip of a leash.

"Oh, that sight is just _so_ becoming of the boy!" Frieza cackled.

Gohan felt what little dignity he had left crumble. Now he was being treated like a true pet, being dragged around by a damn leash. Zarbon roughly pulled Gohan to him. "We're taking you to the famed hotbox, kid!" he snickered. "How long, Frieza?"

"Oh, the standard three days should suffice," Frieza replied with indifference.

Zarbon nodded and walked out of the room, dragging Gohan behind him. He stepped out of the throne room and into the hallway, where several soldiers cleared the way, observing Gohan. Among the soldiers were Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. Nappa and Raditz had a hint of sympathy for Gohan. The sight made Vegeta sick to his stomach, not only because they were treating Gohan like some toy, but because he had experienced the same things as a child himself. No doubt, he was going to the goddamned hotbox.

Zarbon and Gohan left the building. "Fly with me unless you want to be hanged," Zarbon bluntly said.

Gohan didn't even reply, instead flaring up what little Ki he had left to fly with him. The area they headed towards was very humid, with thick air. They landed at an area that was barren, except for one particular spot. There was an average sized, rectangular compartment standing in the middle of the wasteland, with a door on it. Zarbon opened the door and roughly tossed Gohan into the compartment. Gohan fell to the floor, and didn't even attempt to get back up.

"I'll be seeing you in three days," Zarbon said with a laugh.

Zarbon slowly closed the door, shutting out the last bit of light from Gohan.


	5. Gohan's New Goal

Three torturous days.

That's how long Gohan was trapped in that box. No food, no water, not even a semblance of company besides the various insects and rodents that crawled their way in. The heat was intense, and at one point the half-Saiyan had passed out. To his chagrin, upon waking up he still had at least a day left in the chamber. By the third day, the box was infected by the smell of sweat, blood and vomit. The blood came from Gohan's wounds from his beating by Frieza, which he was sure were infected. Some of it also came from his knuckles as the result of his feeble attempts to break himself out of the box – the walls were made of some strange metal that was nigh-unbreakable. Gohan was desperate to escape.

His pleas were finally answered when, on the third day, the door was swung open, bringing back the light that he had been deprived of for 72 hours. Standing before him was a familiar face – Zarbon. His lips were curled into an arrogant smirk as he surveyed Gohan's appearance.

He was shriveling. His forehead was drenched in sweat. His eyes were wide open and badly bloodshot; they weren't even directed at Zarbon, as if he hadn't even noticed him open the door. His arms were a mess of scabs and bruises – one particular spot on his right shoulder was swollen and badly discolored. Gohan resembled a zombie more than a four year old little boy.

"Well, boy, your time is finally up. I hope you've learned your lesson, monkey," Zarbon snickered.

Not even bothering to get a response, Zarbon pulled the catatonic child up by his leash. Gohan was at least aware enough to brace himself for when Zarbon took flight. He was so broken he didn't even feel the slightest bit of relief at being out from his prison; he was sick, in pain, and more importantly, whatever dignity he had was gone.

They finally landed at the white, stone building, which Zarbon walked in side. He forcefully pushed Gohan in front of him. "Now, get yourself cleaned up, boy. Your stench is nauseating," he sneered. The green alien pulled the leash over Gohan's hair and walked away, resuming his spot in Frieza's throne room.

For at least a minute, Gohan didn't even move a muscle, instead staring blankly at the wall that was at least 30 feet across from him. Finally, he found enough strength to step forward and walked, although it was really a limp. He turned left and headed down the hallway, where he was met with the curious stares of several warriors. Among them were Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz, who had just come back from a meal. Needless to say, they were extremely alarmed by Gohan's appearance.

One soldier, however, took amusement out of it. He was a scaly, green alien, with large, ugly lips and frills going down his head. He stepped in front of Gohan, blocking his path.

"Will you look at that, the little monkey boy finally learned his lesson! Serves you right!" he said through a laugh.

Vegeta's jaw unconsciously flexed, as the soldier's taunting was actually managing to get under his skin.

"Maybe next time you won't run your stupid mouth at Lord Frieza!" The alien soldier pinched his nose in disgust, waving a hand at the boy. "And jeez, the smell on you! It's horrifying! What did you do, take a shit for three days straight?" He burst out into an annoying, virulent fit of laughter.

Gohan's eye twitched. That man's laughter was _irritating_. He didn't want to hear it anymore – it was ringing through his head and deeply disturbing him. He wanted it out of his head, _now. _Clenching his fists tightly at his sides, the four year old Saiyan let out a ferocious growl.

He then lifted his hand and fired a deadly Ki blast right at the soldier. The blast shot straight through his chest, killing him on the spot.

Every soldier in the hallway gasped at the sight, realizing that they really did have a Kid Vegeta 2.0 on their hands. Most of them took silent notes never to get on his bad side and hurriedly left the hall to go about other tasks, some even stepping on the corpse of the belligerent soldier who made the poor choice of egging Gohan on.

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz, however, stayed where they were, staring at the half-Saiyan intensely. His scowl was angrier than before, and his hand was still locked in a firing position. A bright, blue glow began building around him, causing the three Saiyans to tense up.

"The boy's losing control of himself!" Raditz hissed.

"Calm down, kid!" Vegeta ordered.

However, Gohan didn't listen. Instead, the glow began building, eventually forming into a blue aura. Realizing that things could get dire quickly, Vegeta rushed towards the boy and tightly squeezed him by the shoulders, trying to put enough pressure on him to gradually zap away his strength. Vegeta hissed in agitation, as the heat Gohan was giving off alarmed him, though he kept his grip firm. His features became at ease when he felt the heat dying down, and his glow fading away. Once his power dropped, Gohan sank to his knees and looked down at the floor, panting heavily. Every shaky breath he took sounded like it was going to be his last.

"We've gotta get that kid to a rejuvenation chamber, quick," Nappa said tersely.

"Yeah, who knows how messed up those wounds are," Raditz said.

Vegeta nodded in acknowledgement and hauled Gohan up before dragging him by the arm, knowing he wasn't in his right mind and quite possibly not even aware of their presence.

Once in the medical room, Vegeta hastily pushed Gohan towards Nappa and looked off at the side, appearing to be irritated by something. Nappa raised a curious eyebrow before removing Gohan's armor. The normally smooth-headed warriors both winced when they saw the wounds and bruises staining his chest, as well as some of the disgustingly unnatural coloring forming around them. Nappa hadn't seen anything that bad since one particular incident from Vegeta's teen years, and it was quite the unnerving sight. Vegeta snuck a glance at Gohan before growling in frustration and locking his eyes on the wall. Not caring to be in the room any longer, Vegeta walked out into the hall. Raditz and Nappa were both slightly surprised.

"I wonder what's got Vegeta acting so strange," Raditz remarked.

Nappa looked out to the hall, where Vegeta was standing with his back to him. His arms seemed to be folded across his chest. Nappa shrugged, not really knowing what was making Vegeta so uncomfortable about standard violence, brutality that he had experienced and dished out for years.

Unbeknownst to the Saiyans, Zarbon had witnessed the whole thing on the way to retrieving a scouter. He rushed back to Frieza's room, eager to share the display.

"Lord Frieza, I just saw something that may interest you," Zarbon said.

"Oh…?" Frieza replied, taking a sip from his glass of wine. "Do tell, Zarbon."

Zarbon cleared his throat. "Well, sire, I just saw the Saiyan brat kill one of our men."

"Hn. How tragic," Frieza replied with cold disinterest.

Zarbon looked at his ruler with slight surprise. "But sire, shouldn't he be reprimand-"

"Silence, Zarbon," Frieza said, with just a hint of annoyance. "The soldier was likely a weak piece of trash to be disposed of by a severely famished and weakened monkey. He was of no use to us." The tyrant's lips curled into a smirk. "Besides, I find the story rather entertaining. Wouldn't you agree, Zarbon?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza," Zarbon said with a disappointed sigh. He had been hoping the news would result in the boy being met with another harsh punishment for his actions, but alas, one can't get everything they want.

After Gohan was properly placed in the healing tank, Vegeta walked into their sleeping chamber. Feeling an inexplicable nausea hit him, the Saiyan prince lay down on his cot, staring at the ceiling. Something about seeing that boy in his condition made his skin crawl and he didn't like it at all. He tried to force himself to sleep, but his thoughts kept drifting to Gohan.

* * *

><p>Gohan's eyes slowly opened. It had been two hours since he was brought into the rejuvenation chamber. A scientist pressed the button on the side of the machine to open the door to the machine, causing the solution to spill to the floor. Gohan removed the breathing mask on his own and let out a drawn out sigh, relieved to finally be out of the chamber. He looked down at his chest and arms; though there were a few scars, the wounds and burns that he had branded on him before were thankfully all gone. Gohan felt as good as new, all of his injuries were fully healed, as well as his feelings of illness. He could feel a new amount of power surging through him as a result of his recovery. To confirm the increase in power, Gohan rapidly punched at the air. The boy gasped at the greater amount of speed he was putting out.<p>

Gohan looked across the room at the table, where a new set of armor, gloves, boots, and body suit were waiting for him.

"You should get rest, Gohan," the alien advised. "Lord Frieza should be briefing you and the other Saiyans about your next assignment tomorrow."

Gohan came to abrupt stop as he was just about to slip his armor down. _Frieza_. The name alone ignited a fire in the half-breed. Gohan hissed through his teeth before putting on his armor and slipping his gloves on so hard his fingers nearly tore through the fabric.

Out of curiosity, the doctor ran his scouter and nearly tripped on his feet upon seeing the power level he read on the boy. _Tw-twenty five hundred…? Unreal,_ he said to himself. _He's just a kid and he's already approaching Nappa! I can't believe Lord Frieza is even allowing him to live!_

Gohan slipped his scouter on before walking down the hallway to his sleeping quarters. Nappa and Raditz were already sprawled out on their cots and snoring rather loudly, though Vegeta had his arms folded and was staring at the ceiling. He let out a grunt to acknowledge Gohan's presence. Gohan sat down on his cot with his legs crossed. He rested his chin in his hands and stared blankly across the room. Though it was late, he had gotten enough rest already and didn't see himself falling back to sleep any time soon. Gohan felt an odd feeling brimming within him – his near catatonic state from before now gone, he was now seething with anger and could practically feel a voice calling for him to get his hands on something and destroy it.

And that something was unmistakably Frieza.

Gohan wasn't a violent person. He didn't like fighting at all and just wanted to be a scholar, like his mom always wanted for him. Yet now, he was itching to tear Frieza limb from limb for what he did to him. The feeling caused Gohan to tremble – he didn't think he was even capable of generating such thoughts. Vegeta and Raditz had already done enough to anger him, but Frieza was a completely different story. The four-year old half-Saiyan wanted his _blood_.

Vegeta cocked his head to the side and snuck a glance at Gohan. Seeing him now, struggling to reign in his temper and still mentally reeling from Frieza's torture made the Saiyan Prince feel something he never in a million years thought he'd ever feel for anything-

_Empathy_.

Yes, the boy was still a sniveling, soft-hearted, spoiled little brat. But Vegeta knew exactly what he was experiencing and feeling. Forced to work for Frieza at only four years old. Dealt unspeakable tortures and punishment. A near-crippling need to destroy his ruler. Minus the idiotic moral dilemma over killing weaklings, the boy sitting across from him that was shivering in his rage for Frieza was the mirror image of him some 25 odd years ago. Though The Saiyan Prince had quickly learned to pretend to be obedient to Frieza, his hatred never died, ever since that first day…

* * *

><p><em>From the day he was born, the heir to the royal Saiyan throne had demonstrated an extraordinary power level for his age. He put even fully grown adult warriors to shame with his strength, showing a level of efficiency in fighting that would make the strongest beings across the universe nod in respect. There had even been talks among the Saiyans that perhaps Prince Vegeta would be "the one," the Legendary Super Saiyan.<em>

_However, none of that mattered to Vegeta at that moment._

_For he was now going to become a slave, working at his hands and feet in the name of some tyrant that his people had foolishly formed what could only politely be called an alliance with. His name was Frieza._

_The four-year old Saiyan Prince walked through the rocky terrain of his humid home planet with his red cape and his armor, bearing the royal crest of his family on the chest plate. Even at such a young age, he exuded pride. Vegeta walked up the ramp of the spaceship and made his walk inside to meet his new superior._

_Already waiting for him at the entrance was his father, the King. The tall, bearded Saiyan gave his son ta stern look. "Don't forget what I told you, son," King Vegeta said. "No matter what Lord Frieza says or does, _never_ show fear. You represent all of us, even me."_

_Prince Vegeta nodded and followed his father to Frieza's main room. An alien servant slid the metallic doors, opening the large room. Standing across from the regal Saiyans were three beings – Zarbon, Dodoria, and the tyrant himself, Frieza. Vegeta had only heard of him, but now, seeing him up close, he could see how such a man could have amassed such power. His eyes were very dark and intimidating – and they were directed right at him. However, the prince didn't even flinch._

"_Ah, I am so very glad to see you, good King," Frieza said politely. Vegeta's left eye twitched. Something about his voice rubbed him the wrong way. It was very elegant sounding, but beneath the surface, he could hear traces of insanity._

"_Yes, Lord," King Vegeta said before getting down on one knee._

_Vegeta's jaw flexed at the sight. He couldn't even bear to look at his father like that. It was disgusting; he was the King of all Saiyans! Why was he showing such meekness towards this being and _kneeling_ before him? It was a slight to the royal blood._

_King Vegeta glanced at his son and motioned his chin towards the ground, silently directing him to kneel as well. Vegeta let out a low growl in his throat, and as he got on one knee, he caught the light chuckle that came from Frieza. The mere sound of his laughs playing in his head slightly disturbed him. _

_Frieza gave the boy a scrutinizing gaze, studying every aspect of his appearance. Prince Vegeta's face formed into a scowl in impatience. He looked over at his father, who had his eyes closed. There was a bead of sweat slowly making its way down the king's head, and if he hadn't have been trying to keep his respectful front, the younger Saiyan would have addressed his father for it out loud._

_Frieza finally broke the silence with another amused chuckle. "So you're Prince Vegeta? Even for a little boy, you have a fairly good look to you. Do please work for me," the icy tyrant said through a giggle._

_Vegeta's eye twitched even harder than before. For the first time in his life, he actually felt a sense of revulsion. Frieza's tender demeanor, that polite way of speaking, that _voice_…all of it made his stomach churn. He could tell it was all just a front, his way of getting inside people's heads. The lizard bastard in truth thought very little of him; he could feel it. Being looked at as some toy made the Prince's blood boil. Exhaling through his nose, the Prince made his best effort to control the fire building within him._

"_Well, my young lad?" Frieza asked, his voice sizzling with anticipation. "I do hope that you accept my request." That last statement was said in the lizard's usual affable voice, but Vegeta could nearly feel the threat swimming beneath his words. No matter how much Frieza tried to present otherwise with his false kindness, Vegeta really didn't have a choice in the matter._

"_As you wish, Lord Frieza," Vegeta finally grumbled, his voice shaky._

_Frieza's eyes lit up. "Ah, fantastic, Prince! I do look forward to your services! Now, normally, I would conduct a personal test to see if you are truly worthy, but I can see from you now that you have _fantastic_ potential; true royalty! Thus, I do not feel the need to do so."_

_Every last one of Frieza's words repulsed Vegeta. He was now reduced to nothing but the pet of a creepy tyrant, doing only his bidding. He was supposed to be the Prince of all Saiyans; nobody but his mother, and father, who he was beginning to think was a coward, should have say over him._

"_You are dismissed, young warrior. I'd like to have a word with your father," Frieza said._

_Vegeta stood up and turned around to leave. His father turned to him and gave him a firm stare, which Vegeta responded to with a slightly apprehensive look. He then left the room, wanting to get out of that monster's presence as soon as possible, lest he vomited. Vegeta hastily marched out of the ship until he was back on the land of his home planet. He looked around, making sure there was nobody around to see or hear him._

"_Someday, I will kill him!"_

* * *

><p>Vegeta blinked, his own malice returning upon seeing the memories of his first encounter. Though it hadn't ended in violence like with Gohan, that would come later. Vegeta had greater trouble controlling his temper around Frieza, causing him to lash out; he had developed quite the smart mouth, and more than once had he used it to infuriate Frieza and bring deadly punishment onto himself. As the Prince had confirmed through his own two eyes numerous times, Frieza would have killed any other insubordinate soldier with the flick of his finger upon the first infraction, no matter how insignificant, but Vegeta and the Saiyans amused him. Frieza would do enough so as not to kill him, but made sure Vegeta would never forget his punishments, either.<p>

Some days, Vegeta wished Frieza would just go ahead and do it.

But then, of course, Vegeta would remember his entire reason for pretending to be obedient. That goal he set…it would happen one day. He just had to continue working within the system, increasing his power level little by little, and enduring whatever hardships he experienced. Dominion of the universe was an occupation for him and _him_ only.

Vegeta turned to look at Gohan, who looked like he was going to explode at any minute now. "It's best you get some sleep, kid," he gruffly advised.

Gohan simply hissed in response. If he _could_ go to sleep, he would have already been knocked out, but sleep was just something he was seemingly unable to relent to at the moment.

Vegeta sighed and lay back down. "Suit yourself, half-breed."

Many hours later, Vegeta had reawakened, and the first thing he saw was Gohan punching at the air. He snickered, figuring that Gohan hadn't even got sleep. From the looks of it, his eyes were strained from having been open for so long. Nappa and Raditz were putting their wristbands on.

"Kid's been at it since I woke up," Nappa snickered, looking at Vegeta.

"I guess Frieza lit a fire under his ass," Vegeta remarked.

Nappa, out of his own curiosity, decided to inspect the boy's power level. He placed his scouter over his eye and pressed the button to scan his power. As the orange numbers ran along the bottom of the screen, the bald, burly Saiyan warrior's jaw sank.

"Holy hell…" Nappa choked out.

Vegeta raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The boy's power level is at…3,000!" Nappa stammered.

"_Three_ thousand? That's unbelievable…!" Raditz exclaimed. "He's not too far from you, Nappa!"

"And that's just as he is _now_," Vegeta added. The Prince shook his head, unable to believe how powerful the boy was getting. He was the half-breed son of a low-class warrior, cut from the same cloth as Raditz. And yet…this power he possessed had unfathomable potential. It was one of the reasons Vegeta had brushed away the thought of breeding with earthlings that had temporarily come to his head upon the first time he witnessed Gohan's strength. It was without doubt, now – just a few more years of this and the half-breed would be stronger than _him_.

Vegeta couldn't help but sweat at the thought.

He reasoned to himself that the boy was still meek and had loyalty, but the mere concept of him even being strong enough to overtake him should he ever entertain the thought didn't make the Prince of Saiyans comfortable.

Should he just kill the kid right now, while he's still weaker than him, to prevent it from happening?

_No,_ Vegeta finally relented. That was the coward's way out. If the time ever came that Gohan got too strong and let the power go to his head, he would become an obstacle. And like every obstacle Vegeta had ever faced in his life, he would overcome him and come out stronger than ever. The thought had now made Vegeta salivate rather than sweat. There wasn't anybody in the army outside of Cui, Zarbon, Dodoria, and the Ginyu Force that even had a chance of approaching his level. Now that a warrior, a _Saiyan,_ had finally come, it made the Saiyan Prince's blood flare up with anticipation. Competition was always a great thing. Besides, the more powerful warriors he had on his side when he finally decided to revolt, the better.

Gohan stopped his exercises, having overheard his comrades' conversation. He stared at his palms with interest. _Am I really that strong…? Wow, that's actually pretty cool._

Even the normally calm, nonviolent child cracked a small smirk at the possibilities.

"Anyway," Vegeta said, shaking his head, "Let's get to Frieza. We have to be briefed on our next assignment."

"I sure hope the planet we go to is as good as Trident!" Nappa said.

The four Saiyans left the room and walked to Frieza's throne room. Upon stepping in, Gohan felt his rage towards Frieza return. Gohan took a deep breath, now knowing good and well to watch his tongue around the tyrant. But just being in the same room as him now made his stomach churn.

Zarbon snickered when he saw Gohan. The half-breed snarled in response, as he was at least able to disrespect Zarbon without consequences. The Saiyans all got down on one knee.

Frieza slowly turned around in his floating chair. His ever-annoying smirk was etched across his face as he looked at the Saiyans, specifically his favorite new pet, Gohan. "Ah, I'm so glad to see my favorite subjects back here."

Gohan held back a growl; his master's voice never ceased to make his stomach churn. However, Frieza could tell how much Gohan was trying to control himself, which made things all the more fun for him.

"Gohan, it's been too long!" Frieza greeted in his mock-polite drawl. "Nice to see that you have recovered…"

Gohan swallowed deeply in his throat and locked his eyes to the floor.

"I hope you do not take my actions from three days ago personally, boy. You see, I am simply trying to instill values in you, and sometimes doing such requires a little _tough love_," Frieza said with an irritating snicker. "What's an army without discipline, after all? Hopefully, your assuredly _hideous_ new scars will serve as a reminder of the consequences of a sharp tongue."

That was enough to finally get a growl out of Gohan, much to Frieza's delight. Vegeta grunted in annoyance.

_Kid, he's just trying to push your buttons to see how far he can go. Don't let him get to you._

Vegeta's voice suddenly rang in Gohan's mind. Gohan didn't know whether he was hearing things or not, so he turned his head towards Vegeta. The prince nodded affirmatively to confirm what Gohan was thinking. Gohan responded in kind and faced forward, now with a stern look on his face.

Frieza broke the tension with his insidious laughter. "Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, allow me to inform you of your latest assignment, men. There is a planet in the southwest sector called Planet Kithra that is quite the doozy. It is a warrior race, and is rife with powerful warriors," Frieza paused to survey the reactions of the Saiyans, easily noticing the anticipation building. Frieza grinned.

"However, _that_ planet is none of your concern. I have sent the Ginyu Force there. It's a little bit _too_ much for you four," Frieza said, crushing the hopes of the Saiyans, as he knew they were hungry for another fierce battle to increase their strength. "You see, Planet Kithra is very lucrative, and I don't want to have any planets near it; they are all useless eyesores. Your job is to destroy Planet Tajine. Its coordinates are 4650XY. It is a weak, pathetic, frontier planet," Frieza said, placing emphasis on the lack of formidable warriors to further disappoint the Saiyans, "So, accounting for the logistics, it should only take about two days at the most. Your assignment is to begin immediately. Do not disappoint me, Saiyans!"

"Yes, Lord Frieza," Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz said in unison. Frieza cocked his head to the side at Gohan's silence, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt since he was still new at this.

"You four are dismissed. Your ships have already been programmed with the location and landing instructions," Frieza said.

The Saiyans got up and left the room. As soon as they walked out of the building, Nappa let out a frustrated growl. "Dammit, I should've known he'd give us a piece of shit planet."

"Calm down, Nappa," Vegeta ordered. "I hear Planet Tajine's got some nice women, so you can thrill yourself with that."

Nappa gave a small smile, though he was still miffed over the lack of a good battle.

"Uh, Vegeta?" Gohan asked. "How are we supposed to blow up the planet without killing ourselves? We can't breathe in space, and if we do it on the planet we'll probably get blown up!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "All we have to do is destroy the planet's core, brat. As long as we move quickly, we will be able to escape the imminent explosion." Vegeta turned around and walked to his space pod while muttering something about pathetic humans.

Gohan got into his pod and rested his chin in his hands. In spite of everything Vegeta had told him, he still didn't want to kill innocent people. However, he was still angry over his encounter with Frieza, and though it was faint, he had a desire to take his lingering rage out on _something_.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Gohan stepped out of his space pod. This planet was very dark – the sky was completely black besides the stars, and the dirt was a dark brown. The climate was very cold; Gohan could already feel goosebumps sprouting. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were already running their scouters.<p>

"Man, this planet really is trash!" Nappa snarled. "Nobody here is even over 700!"

Vegeta snorted in annoyance. "Well, looks like we can make quick work of this planet if we spread out. We have two days, so let's try to at least get some fun out of this place, shall we?" the prince said with a devious smirk on his face.

Normally, Gohan would've gotten chills from what Vegeta was implying, but instead, to the Saiyans' surprise, he felt…nothing. In truth, the calling he was feeling for violence hadn't faded, and now that he was on the planet, where he had a mission assigned, it had only grown. The bloodlust didn't make Gohan comfortable at all, and though he was trying to push it away, he wasn't sure how to successfully go about it.

Vegeta could see the stoic expression on Gohan's face…the same look he had perfected as a kid, actually. He could see the fire burning behind Gohan's onyx eyes, one that had been lit by Frieza three days ago.

"Listen, boy. I hear the people on this planet are nothing but scum; rapists, murders, kidnappers, those types of people," Vegeta said, his tone unreadable. He cracked a sadistic smirk. "People like the three of us, you could say. They don't deserve to have the luxury of the notions of 'mercy' that you live by."

Gohan responded to Vegeta's revelation with wide eyes. These people were all bad? With the way Vegeta put it…perhaps killing these guys would be a service to the universe. They really didn't deserve mercy if they were like Vegeta described. His face suddenly becoming very stern and serious, Gohan clenched his fists tightly and looked off at the side.

"I suppose we'll spread out. Nappa, Raditz, I don't really feel like getting involved in whatever you two have planned with the women, so you can go off on your own and have some fun," Vegeta directed.

Nappa licked his lips in excitement. "Oh yes, this will be fun indeed." Nappa blasted off into the sky.

Raditz followed after him. "Hey, save some for me, too, Nappa!" he called out as he flew off.

"Crazy bastards…" Vegeta said through an amused snort. Nappa and Raditz were both brutes, but they provided entertainment every now and then.

Gohan didn't really hear what they were saying. He was still mulling over what Vegeta had told him. Yes, killing was wrong, but the inhabitants of this planet sounded like they didn't deserve to live. He had read in the books he used in his studies about the law system and how criminals would be put to trial and handed out punishments for the atrocities they committed. The very worst criminals, such as murderers, would be put to death for their actions. If the people on earth were able to apply such a system to weed out the scum on the planet, then it wouldn't be a bad thing if those same principles were applied here as well. Yes, this planet's inhabitants were the evil criminals to be judged and tried for their actions.

And Son Gohan would be the executioner.

Though he felt a little taken aback by how quickly he decided to take on that role, Gohan now looked at the planet's terrain with renewed vigor.

Vegeta chuckled. What he had told the boy was a simple lie. He knew next to nothing about this planet besides the women. But he knew Gohan still harbored feelings of unease over killing, and figured a little extra push to skew his perspective would motivate him. That bloodlust in the half-breed wasn't going away any time soon, but it was being held back by his stupid black and white morals.

Gohan slowly began floating in the air, looking for the first place to strike. Vegeta followed him up. "There are several power levels straight ahead. We will go there, I suppose."

Gohan flew off at alarming speed. Vegeta smirked, but he couldn't shake the odd feeling he had as he flew behind him. Why the hell was he accompanying him? The boy was his subordinate, no different from Nappa and Raditz. It wasn't like Gohan was going to need his help in this particular mission.

Vegeta shook his head in realization. He felt like he needed to serve as something resembling the boy's mentor. Yes, the thought of him actually caring about what the boy was doing sickened him. Yes, given a few more years of experience, Gohan would likely surpass him. Yes, he was going to have to kill him once that day came and he forgot his place. But dammit, the boy was going through the same thing he did as a kid, albeit with a few differences in personality. Almost subconsciously, the Saiyan Prince wanted to use his own experience to assist Gohan in surviving this world.

But that was preposterous! He damn sure didn't feel that way when Raditz first brought Gohan into their group. Whatever interest he had in the boy's well-being was to ensure he would be a useful ally. But seeing the after-effects of his "punishment" from Frieza repulsed Vegeta in a way nothing had before. To see another kid, a _Saiyan_ having to endure the same things he did, to see those horrors repeated through another person…it was an awful thing. It was an insult to his honor as the Prince to allow another one of his own people to be played around with like a pet. Sure, Gohan's blood was tainted by that of the humans', but the potential he displayed was something unmistakably unique to the Saiyans.

Yes, he understood now…it was his duty to ensure Gohan wouldn't have as horrible of an experience as he did.

The two Saiyans stopped when they were hovering over a town. Vegeta looked over the area; there were likely a few thousand people living among the buildings, and they were all weak. He could vaporize them all with a simple blast right now, but he wanted Gohan to get the kill instead. It was very necessary for the boy to release the pent-up aggression he had.

Vegeta turned to Gohan. "Attack them, boy."

Gohan didn't need to be told twice. He had unconsciously unwrapped his tail from his waist and it began waving around from behind him in anticipation. Even though he was merely carrying out justice (or so he thought), he was oddly eager to go about the task. The half-Saiyan flew down to city, to the surprise of several of the civilians.

However, in Gohan's eyes, the images of the startled citizens had changed, instead warping into the image of the object of his wildest aggressions and fury…Frieza. He wasn't seeing mere aliens of varying shapes, sizes, and colors…he was now seeing that horned tyrant that _tortured_ him, imprisoned him in that unbelievably hot box for _three days_, and treated him like a little puppy. Gohan's vision went red; whatever restraint he had was absolutely gone.

A firing of a lethal Ki blast…

Multiple bodies flying…

Several screams of terror…

More blasts…buildings falling over…

Bones cracking, limbs flying all over the place…

The red faded away, revealing a scene completely different from what Gohan had last remembered. The tall buildings that had previously been standing were either gone entirely or lying on the ground, engulfed in a mix of a flames and smoke. There were dead bodies all around him; some of the corpses were missing limbs, some were simply mutilated beyond recognition. Gohan looked down at his gloved palms – they were stained in blood.

_I…_I_ did all of this…?_

It was a great shock to Gohan. Even though he remembered that these people ultimately got what was coming to them, Gohan still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was capable of something like _this_. He couldn't recount a single detail of what had just happened, but a simple view of the aftermath of it all laid out the story for him.

But, in all honesty, he felt a sense of relief.

Vegeta saw the whole display from above. Even he was a bit surprised – he knew the boy had it in him all along, even though it required a fib on his end in order to bring it out. But he wouldn't have guessed that he would be _this _efficient. Vegeta ran his scouter on Gohan as he went about slaughtering the city, and nearly lost the strength to keep himself afloat when he saw the reading.

_4250._

He was stronger than Nappa. At four years old. It was an amazing thing, really. This boy was the product of the most useful thing Raditz had ever done. And what's more, Gohan was only going to get better from here. His full power still seemed to only be unlocked through feelings of anger, as well his ferocity, but all of that would be fixed in due time.

Vegeta floated down to the ground, landing in front of Gohan. "Kid-"

"Did I really do all of _this_? I don't remember anything," Gohan asked curiously.

"Yes, boy, you did. It seems like your emotions still guide your power," Vegeta answered.

"I guess all of the anger I had towards Frieza just came out," Gohan mused out loud.

Vegeta nodded and then frowned in thought. He doubted that Gohan would want to engage in some of the "fun" he, Nappa, and Raditz would engage in with the weaklings of this planet's population. Though his feelings on the matter didn't really mean much, he would just end up being a burden. He wanted Gohan to be a cold-blooded killer, but it wasn't exactly required that he became an outright monster like him.

But he _could _show him something "cool."

Vegeta smirked. "Kid, let's get something to eat. The forests should have plenty of wild animals that will be much more preferable to the shitty meals we get at home base."

Gohan nodded, but raised an eyebrow at Vegeta's expression. It seemed he had something planned. Vegeta flew into the air and Gohan followed. The two got pretty high up until Vegeta came to a sudden stop. He raised his right hand, which was glowing with a deadly amount of Ki. Gohan's heart sank to his stomach – was he going to kill him right then and there because of his growing power? This must have been the reason behind that smirk!

Vegeta fired a massive Ki blast from his palm. With speed Gohan didn't even know he had, he flew out of the blast's trajectory. It didn't save the city, however, or what was left of it. The blast hit the ground, triggering a massive explosion. The light threatened to blind Gohan and the smoke had already quickly risen to his level.

While coughing, Gohan swatted away the smoke as best as he could. Soon, the light faded, and the smoke settled. Gohan lost his ability to even speak when he saw what was left in the wake of the blast. All of the buildings? Gone. All of the dead bodies? Gone. All that was left of the city was a massive crater, a remnant of the destruction Vegeta had just dealt. Gohan looked at his superior with a mix of fear and awe.

Vegeta's smirk turned into an all-out psychotic grin. His intention wasn't to attack Gohan at all. Rather, he was trying to show off more of _his_ power to the boy, just in case he was starting to get the wrong idea with his growing potential. _That_ was the level of power Gohan was going to have to reach if he ever even _thought_ about turning on Vegeta.

Plus, it should have served as a good motivation for Gohan to become stronger.

"Pretty cool, wasn't it, Gohan?" Vegeta boasted.

All Gohan could do was meekly nod. Vegeta truly was a deadly force to be reckoned with. Though he figured Frieza could probably do much worse, it still didn't deter the awe he had over Vegeta's fearsome blast.

"On that note, let's get ourselves a snack, shall we?" Vegeta said casually. He turned around and flew away. Gohan swallowed in his throat and reluctantly followed the flame-haired warrior.

Gohan was sitting across from Vegeta, the only thing separating them being the flames Vegeta had ignited to roast the tiger-like creature they hunted down. Gohan was used to seeing hunts go down from his explorations with Goku, but Vegeta's gruesome efficiency made Gohan wince. His father would always just quickly knock his prey out, whereas Vegeta brutalized them. It had been a few hours, and Vegeta spent most of them killing whatever animal came into his sights.

Nappa and Raditz had just arrived. They looked completely unscathed from fighting, though their armor was stained with dirt.

"Report," Vegeta ordered, finishing the remains of the wildcat's arm.

"We wiped out most of the cities we found. I _wanted_ to have some fun with the civilians, but you know Nappa," Raditz sneered, looking at his bald comrade. "He just blew up the cities the instant we landed."

"Oh, quit bitching, Raditz!" Nappa said lightheartedly. The eldest Saiyan slammed his fist into a tree, knocking it down. "I'm just pissed, is all. Frieza's always giving us these crappy missions to keep us from getting stronger!"

"Don't be discouraged, Nappa. That lizard bastard's going to once again be careless and let a powerful planet slip under the rug and send _us_ there since his hands will be tied. In due time, comrades," Vegeta said, staring at the fire intensely.

Gohan saw the looks of contempt his three partners had whenever the subject of Frieza was brought up. "Uh, guys, I have a question."

"Shoot, half-breed," Raditz said.

"If you guys hate Frieza so much, why have you spent so many years working for him?" Gohan asked, choosing his words carefully so as not to trigger the rage of the Saiyans.

To Gohan's surprise, Vegeta laughed, though there was no humor behind it. Nappa spoke up. "It's like this, kid: Frieza's power goes beyond any figment of the imagination."

"Correct," Vegeta added. "We could try to revolt, but we'd be squashed like bugs."

"But one day…" Nappa said, his voice filled with determination.

"Yes, one day," Vegeta replied, staring off into the sky. The look in his eyes was one of fierce ambition. "_One day_, we will grow strong enough to finally defeat Frieza, and I will rule the universe."

Vegeta turned his head back to Gohan, his face very serious. "I can see it, kid – you _hate_ Frieza as much as we do. You want nothing more but to see that bastard's head crushed beneath your feet, don't you?" Gohan nodded nervously. "Do you understand now? Why you must throw away your aversions to killing? We Saiyans grow stronger after every fight; our power is _infinite_. Every planet you purge, every person you kill, the closer you will get to finally extracting your revenge."

Gohan took in every last word Vegeta said. As much as he didn't want to admit, the prince was right. He _did_ hate Frieza. His thoughts were constantly consumed with vengeance for what had happened three days earlier. But the only way that was going to happen was if he became willing to get his hands dirty, admittedly. What was more important – his freedom and desire for revenge, or morals? Gohan finally came to the conclusion-

Frieza was going to die, one way or another.


	6. Conflict Rules Everything Around Me

Sure, watching Vegeta essentially wipe an entire city off of the map was a truly awe-inspiring sight.

But watching him blow up a planet? The mere sight sent an ice cold chill down Gohan's spine. The Prince had instructed Gohan, Nappa, and Raditz to fly high into the planet's atmosphere before firing a massive energy blast at the planet's surface, a blast so fearsome it destroyed the planet's core. With great haste, Vegeta took out a remote from his armor and summoned their spaceships near where they all were. The Saiyans ran into their pods and quickly blasted off of the planet. As their pods soared away from Planet Tajine, a horrific flash of light illuminated the dark emptiness of space, indicating the planet's immense explosion.

While Vegeta had a suspicion otherwise, the thought of turning on Vegeta had never entered Gohan's head. As warped as it may have been, Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta were the closest people he had to turn to for advice. But Vegeta's power…it was horrifying. Gohan may have had a small semblance of respect for Vegeta for his fortitude and natural authority, but he feared him even moreso.

Several hours later, the quartet landed back on Frieza's Home Base. Upon stepping out of his space pod and looking around the planet that he had now begrudgingly viewed as "home," Gohan felt a great sense of purpose simmer through him. Vegeta's words from earlier were still sinking in, but the half-Saiyan had come to understand what he had meant; and he knew that _one day_, this whole place was going down. But for now, he had to work within the system. Vegeta was right all along, Gohan had concluded – everything he had learned on Earth no longer mattered. Whether he liked it or not, this was his life now, and though Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were reprehensible men, Frieza was much, much worse. His purpose in life was now ensuring the tyrant's destruction and freeing himself from his clutches.

If it meant having to get blood on his hands, then so be it.

The four Saiyans walked into the white building and, with Vegeta leading the way, headed to Frieza's throne room. Gohan felt more confident in his steps; whereas before, he timidly walked behind the three larger Saiyans, he now walked at their side, standing straight up. Some of the soldiers gave him belittling glances, but Gohan glared back at them. If Vegeta was able to spend so many years working at this place with his chin up, then so would he.

Two alien servants opened up the metallic doors, uncovering the throne room that Gohan had grown familiar with. The scene was typical – Zarbon and Dodoria standing on opposite sides of the room with their smug dispositions, with Frieza standing in the middle of the two, sitting in his dark floating chair while sipping a glass of wine. The tyrant's eyes lit up upon seeing the Saiyans walk in. They knelt down before him.

"Oh my, this is surely a surprise! I didn't expect you four to be here for an entire day," Frieza remarked. "Excellent work, my pets."

"Planet Tajine has been destroyed, as you ordered, Lord Frieza," Vegeta reported, his voice very controlled.

Gohan eyed Frieza studiously; he was the icy, villainous tyrant he had always been, but he was seeing something different in him now. Not only was he all of that, but he was now a _target_ – one day Gohan, Vegeta, and Nappa would take him down; Gohan was sure of it.

"I must say, you Saiyans have been proving your efficiency quite vigorously lately," Frieza said. "Yes, I am continuously reminded of why I would want such monkeys in my presence; you get the job done."

The four Saiyans all felt no pride from Frieza's praises. They were all backhanded and insincere – all he was doing was belittling them, giving them a false sense of security while he made light of their work.

"Personally, I think you should just can the monkeys," Dodoria snickered.

Vegeta snarled dangerously at Dodoria. Nappa advanced towards him, though Vegeta raised a restraining hand in front of his longtime partner.

"Hold your tongue, Dodoria!" Frieza said through a throaty chuckle. "How many times have I told you about the Saiyans' tempers? You remember the mantra: if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

This drew the laughter of all three of the Saiyans' superiors. That sound…it was almost virulent as it spread through the air and rang in the heads of the Saiyans. It was an insult to their pride to have to constantly deal with Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria's constant mockery. Gohan venomously growled at them, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"It looks like you've angered the boy again, sire," Zarbon remarked.

"Indeed I have," Frieza replied, his laughter dying down. "Though I am _sure_ that he knows not to act out on such feelings of contempt now; am I right, boy?"

The threat layered beneath Frieza's words rang loud and clear in Gohan's mind. Not knowing of any other way to respond, the half-Saiyan relented. "Yes, Lord Frieza," he grumbled.

"Excellent, young lad," Frieza beamed, "I'll teach you to be an obedient servant yet!"

Gohan harshly clenched his teeth together, though he kept his mouth shut. He remembered what Vegeta told him before – Frieza was just trying to bait him. He couldn't show his emotions around the lizard; he at least wasn't going to give him the gratification of victory in mental games.

"But anyway, back to the topic at hand. You Saiyans have been conducting quite the amount of work, lately. That is why I am _rewarding_ you four with a nice break. After all, one does need time to cool off and relax those muscles!" Frieza declared, an obnoxious grin ever present on his face.

Vegeta growled low in his throat. Frieza knew good and well that the only thing he lived for was doing his planetary assignments and getting stronger. Frieza was a lot of things, but a fool he certainly wasn't; he knew exactly what Vegeta was ultimately striving for in his servitude, and this was his way of holding him back.

Frieza gave an amused laugh at the visible frustration on the Saiyans' faces. "Don't fret, my little monkeys! Come on, turn those frowns upside down! _Enjoy_ your time of rest and relaxation!"

"Fine, Lord Frieza," Vegeta hissed in clear irritation.

"On that note, you four are dismissed," Frieza informed.

The Saiyans got up and left the throne room. As soon as the doors were closed shut, Nappa punched the wall so hard it nearly caved in. "Man, he pisses me off! It's so obvious that he's just trying to ruin our progress!"

Vegeta offered no words in reply, instead grunting. Nappa was right, and it infuriated him to no end. Vegeta didn't want to be a lazy bastard like Cui – doing nothing but sitting on his ass, not doing any assignments for months on end, and making no significant progression in power. And yet, Frieza was seemingly ensuring that would be exactly where he was headed. Only Gohan was eligible for survival missions out of the four of them, and Vegeta would only end up putting himself in the doghouse if he went off to purge a planet without permission; he had already accumulated numerous punishments for such over the years as it was.

Gohan was just as frustrated. His goal had been set, and yet here he was immediately being dealt with a drawback. Getting accustomed to killing was certainly going to be an arduous task, but without practice he was going to get nowhere.

"Well, I guess we _could_ request work," Raditz chimed in.

"Don't be absurd," Vegeta scoffed. "Frieza will find some stupid justification to not grant a request like that. The only thing we can do is train for now."

"Aww, are the little monkeys upset?" a voice from down the hall mocked.

Vegeta turned his head and scoffed with disgust. "Piss off, Cotpria. You're in no position to say _anything_ to us. Even Raditz could have you kneeling before him."

"You can talk all you want," Cotpria, the yellow, green spotted alien who was mocking them, began, "But I'm still more in favor with Frieza than you glorified apes."

Vegeta's face became deadly seriously as he stared Cotpria down with narrowed eyes. "You won't be in favor when your skull is being crushed beneath my feet if you keep talking to me like that," he sneered. "Know your place, you piece of trash."

Cotpria rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Gohan. "Oh wow, I didn't know there were any more of you monkeys still in existence. What a brat,"

Gohan snarled at the alien with disgust. The alien suddenly hauled Gohan up by his hair, much to the boy's chagrin. He grabbed the soldier's hand to remove it, but his grip tightened.

"Problem, kid?" Cotpria said with a snort. "You're just like the rest of the monkeys, you act so tough, bu-"

The yellow alien's words were cut off when, in a flash of rage, Gohan fired a well-aimed Ki blast right at his face. The alien's grip broke instantly as he clutched his face while screaming in agony, stumbling back. Gohan dropped back down to the floor and crouched into a defensive position, prepared for a fight.

"Nice shot, brat!" Raditz commended.

Cotpria removed his hand from his now smoking face, angrily stalking towards Gohan. "You little brat, I'll make you pay for that!" he furiously hissed, growing even more mad when he saw the amused smirks etched across the elder Saiyans' faces.

Cotpria curled his arm back, until his scouter beeped loudly. "Cotpria, report to the west side of the planet immediately," a voice rang in. Catpria smirked as he lowered his arm.

"You lucked out, brat!" he said before turning around and running down the hall.

Gohan sighed and stood straight. "Who was that jerk?"

"Cotpria; he's been a nuisance for years," answered Vegeta. "Bastard has pitiful fighting potential yet he's always had the mistaken idea that he's our superior. Pay the moron no mind."

"Whatever; I'm getting hungry," Nappa said. "How about we grab a bite and train?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Vegeta replied. He turned around and walked to the mess hall, and the other Saiyans followed. Gohan hesitated a little bit, taking a glance at the side of the hall Cotpria had trailed down moments ago. That guy really annoyed him; this _place_ annoyed him. He still had a huge amount of resentment for the Saiyans for being responsible for him being there in the first place, but at least they didn't go out of their way to actively annoy him. However, there was no point in mulling over things like that; they were his companions now. The real enemy was Frieza.

The four Saiyans walked into the mess hall and sat down at one of the vacant tables. Nappa and Raditz began crudely chowing down on the "food" in front of them while Vegeta ate with a semblance of class. However, Gohan didn't eat at all, instead blankly staring at the table.

"What are we gonna do now?" he curiously asked.

"Now the brat's eager to purge; all it took was a goal!" Raditz snickered.

Vegeta gave an amused snort before replying, "I suppose we'll just entertain ourselves with the Saibamen until Frieza finally ends our 'break.'"

"How many of those freaks do we have?" Raditz asked, turning to Nappa.

Nappa looked upwards, deep in thought. "Hmm…last I checked, we still had a couple of bottles lying around. Should last us a few weeks, actually."

"At least that's _something_," Raditz replied, his tone laced with contempt.

Gohan looked at the other soldiers heading to and fro; in his eyes, their armor all had bullseyes marked on them. Gohan couldn't help but laugh – when he first arrived at this place, he was alarmed at how much it seemed that everybody wanted to kill each other, and yet now here he was, thinking of how much he wanted to destroy them all. Was this life really getting to him that much? The four-year old still had trouble coping with these thoughts he was getting; they were so unlike him, and yet they constantly sprung to him. And yet, by all accounts, surviving in this place basically required them.

As soon as Vegeta finished eating, the Saiyans followed him out of the room. They were heading towards one of the training facilities, which Zarbon was standing in front of for some reason. As soon as he saw the Saiyans, he smirked deviously.

"What the hell are you doing here, Zarbon?" Vegeta asked impatiently.

Zarbon's smirk widened. "You didn't think that you wouldn't be doing anything besides training on your little break, did you?"

Vegeta groaned. He knew exactly what Zarbon was getting at after years of experience. Nappa growled in frustration.

"Cut the bullshit, Zarbon!" Nappa snapped. "You know damn well Frieza didn't request that we do your stupid 'chores!'"

Zarbon chuckled in response. "You foolish monkey, it doesn't matter if Lord Frieza said so or not – you uncivilized simian trash still answer to me as well. I am your superior, and unless Lord Frieza says otherwise, you will do _exactly _as I say."

Gohan's throat tightened. What was Zarbon doing, keeping them from training? And what were these chores Nappa was talking about? The last thing he wanted to do was be reduced to anybody's whipping boy; he was supposed to be getting stronger now, not conducting mundane tasks that served no purpose.

Vegeta shot Zarbon a glare of pure hatred and contempt. He despised that green bastard so much, always thinking he was special just because he was Frieza's second-in-command. He was nothing more than a sycophantic weasel, something Vegeta had no respect for. The Prince had decided long ago that Zarbon would be the very first person he'd kill once he became strong enough, to finally rid himself of that smug face for good.

"Now, I want you four to clean up the entirety of the mess halls – the tables, the walls, the floors. I don't want to see a single speck of dirt. Once you're done with that, you shall scrub the floors of this building. You are not to train until your tasks are completed, unless you want those miserable things you call lives to come into question." Zarbon explained, his tone firm and threatening.

"What's wrong, Zarbon? Reducing us to these chores because you're afraid we'll become stronger than you?" Vegeta sneered, long past the point of wanting to hold his words.

Zarbon's response was swift and painful. He nailed a vicious punch straight to Vegeta's stomach, sending the flame-haired Saiyan groveling on his knees. Clutching his stomach, Vegeta coughed out a mouthful of spit. Nappa and Raditz shut their eyes and turned their heads to the side, not wanting to see their prince pushed around like so. Gohan scowled at Zarbon, wishing nothing but death on him.

The smug, green alien folded his arms triumphantly as he looked down at Vegeta. "Watch your mouth, monkey. You should have long since known that your smart-ass comments will not be tolerated by me. Now get yourself off the floor and get to conducting your chores," Zarbon said before leaving the premises.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked in concern. He advanced towards Vegeta and offered a helping hand to assist him in standing back up, but Vegeta harshly swatted it away from him.

"Get your hands off me, brat!" Vegeta commanded, his voice hoarse. Using his own strength, Vegeta slowly stood back up to his feet, and then leaned against the wall, panting heavily. That punch knocked the wind out of him, and made Vegeta feel nothing but shame. It reminded him of how much weaker he still was than Zarbon. Though his power level had increased from his battle on Trident, it still wasn't enough to narrow the gap between him and Zarbon.

Vegeta took a deep breath before turning around, facing Gohan. He gave Gohan an annoyed glare, causing him to flinch. Vegeta's cold, dark eyes never ceased to be intimidating to Gohan, and he hated being on his bad side.

"I've already been disgraced enough; the last thing I need is your pity, half-breed!" Vegeta sneered in disgust.

Gohan meekly nodded. He wanted to slap himself for offering to help Vegeta up – the man was almost the definition of pride, he should have known the results of trying to do something like that. "S-sorry, Vegeta," Gohan replied, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the floor.

"Don't apologize, kid, just don't do it again," Vegeta replied. After letting out one last harsh cough, he turned his attention to Nappa and Raditz. "There's no point in complaining about it now. Let's just get to it and do it fast; the quicker we finish, the quicker we can train."

Nappa reigned in his temper a bit and cracked his neck. Vegeta and the group walked to the closest mess hall, where a bucket and rags were already waiting for them. Vegeta hissed in irritation and roughly snatched one of them from the floor. As the others picked up their rags, Vegeta kicked the bucket towards Gohan.

"Carry that around, brat," Vegeta ordered.

"Why should I have to do it?" Gohan muttered under his breath.

"I heard that, kid," Vegeta threateningly replied. Gohan let out a surprised gasp and shut his mouth lest he gave any more complaints.

Gohan put the rag on his shoulder and begrudgingly picked the bucket up. In it was a soapy substance, though it smelled different from the soap he was accustomed to. He followed the Saiyans into the room, which was empty. However, the remnants of the soldiers that had previously occupied the room were very obvious; there were scraps of food laid out all over the place – on the tables, the floor, some of it splattered on the walls. _They should teach these guys manners_, Gohan thought.

"Why the heck does Zarbon expect us to do this stuff?" Gohan asked.

"That effeminate bastard's been working us like slaves for years," Vegeta replied. "No use bitching and moaning about it, brat. Just deal with it."

Gohan nodded. It seemed like the solution to _everything_ here was "dealing with it." He wondered just how much anger Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz had repressed. Nappa definitely had more trouble holding it back, as did Raditz at times, but Vegeta seemed to go about everything with complete indifference. The Saiyan Prince spoke of everything with so much contempt, yet only said such because Gohan would ask about it. He did these demeaning tasks without complaint, even though as a man of pride like him, it must have been eating him up inside.

The Saiyans dipped their rags into the bucket of soap and went about scrubbing the tables. Gohan had become used to cleaning up after himself at home, so wiping the tables, however disgusting they may have been, wasn't that hard of a task. However, back then he was doing it to appease his mother and to be a good little boy. _Now_ he was doing it in the name of some stupid alien that was only trying to degrade him. With every scrub, every wipe, Gohan could feel his dignity being swept away. It was like Vegeta said – they really were slaves.

Gohan crouched down and began wiping away at the floor, until he felt something slip under his rag. Gohan lifted his hand up and shrieked when he saw what was there – a rat. He jumped up and took a defensive step back. However, a Ki blast suddenly flew over his shoulder and vaporized the rodent, leaving nothing but smoke in its wake. Gohan turned around to see a snickering Nappa standing a few feet behind him with his hand raised.

"Stupid half-breed…" he muttered before turning around and continuing his job.

Gohan let out a relieved sigh and wiped some sweat off his forehead, and then continued scrubbing at the floor. He had already done a thorough job at cleaning up most of the dirt and stains on the far left end of the room, catching the eye of the elder Saiyans.

"Looks like the half-breed's good at this," Raditz remarked.

"Yeah, probably from his pampered life on Earth," Nappa said through a laugh.

"At least I can do something besides fighting, oaf," Gohan mumbled, low enough so that he was sure nobody could hear him.

Thoroughly amused, Nappa cupped his ear with his hands and leaned forward. "Excuse me, brat? I didn't quite catch that!"

Now mad and not wanting to be one-upped in this war of words, Gohan stood up and turned around, looking straight at Nappa with a glare that would've made Vegeta nod in approval. "I said…YOUR MOTHER'S BELLY BUTTON STICKS OUT!"

Raditz and Vegeta burst out with laughter while Nappa looked at Gohan with wide eyes, as if he had just been told that Zarbon had a crush on him. However, his look of shock quickly turned to that of anger as he snarled at the boy.

"Why you little shit, how did _you _know that my mother's belly button sticks out?" he shouted indignantly, which only made Vegeta and Raditz's laughter rise.

Upon realizing the information he gave away, Nappa huffed and turned back around, doing his cleaning duties with more concentration than before. Gohan smirked, satisfied with his verbal victory. Soon, they had finished their job on that particular room. After surveying the area and making sure everything was thoroughly cleaned, the Saiyans moved on to the next room.

Several hours later, they had finished wiping the floors. At one point, an alien gave the Saiyan warriors disparaging remarks for their predicament, which signed off his death warrant. Vegeta killed him quickly and efficiently, blasting him into nothing but dust. Even though Gohan had done basically the same thing to that alien mocking him after he got out from solitary confinement, he was shocked at how Vegeta would kill virtually everyone who crossed him without even batting an eye.

After Zarbon inspected the areas the Saiyans cleaned, he granted them permission to use the training facilities. The group of four entered the dark room, and Nappa pulled out a jar from underneath his armor. He flicked one of the lights on, immediately brightening the room up. Now visible was some sort of pod that had a pile of dirt in the middle of it. Nappa planted a few seeds in the dirt and then poured out green liquid from the jar onto the dirt. Slowly, several small, green monsters began sprouting from the dirt, ones not unlike the weird beings from Planet Trident. Gohan was startled by the occurrence, jumping back.

"What are those things…?" he asked.

"Saibamen," Raditz replied. "They're the easiest way for us to train."

Gohan swallowed heavily in his throat when he saw the green Saibamen; they all looked very violent, staring at Gohan like he was their prey. Without warning, one of them jumped at Gohan and thrust its claws at him. Gohan evaded the attack, but looked incredibly anxious.

"Don't be scared, brat. Check their power levels for yourself on your scouter," Vegeta remarked.

Gohan did as told and pressed the button on his scouter. He felt more at ease when it showed that the monster's power level was only 1200. Now very confident, Gohan crouched into a fighting stance and then lunged at the Saibaman, landing a fatal punch right to its chest. Vegeta gave an approving nod.

"Very good. However, it will do you much better if you allow them to attack you in swarms; it will improve your awareness." Vegeta suggested.

Gohan looked at the other battle hungry Saibamen and gave them a challenging glare. He was ready for anything they threw at him. The beasts lunged at him…

* * *

><p>The next morning, Gohan woke up, put his armor on, and left the sleeping quarters, going to the hall. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were waiting for him.<p>

"Zarbon wants us to report to him, kid," Vegeta explained, "Probably to carry out another bullshit task."

Gohan groaned, not in the mood to be treated like a worthless slave by Zarbon again. "I really don't like that guy!" he remarked.

Vegeta chuckled. "Your sentiments are shared, half-breed."

"Yeah, ain't that the truth!" Nappa added.

They walked down to the entrance of Frieza's throne room, and the familiar green alien was standing in front of the doors. "Ah, the monkeys. The Ginyu Force has completed their purge of Planet Kithra and has gone off to destroy another nearby planet. I want _you_ four to clean up the remains of Kithra."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Nappa scoffed. He was so angry a vein in his forehead was throbbing.

Vegeta was just as angry, giving Zarbon a glare that would have made lesser warriors recoil in fear. "I will tolerate being used as your employee to clean this shithole of a base up, but I will _not_ be used as another man's clean-up squad!"

"I didn't recall asking for your opinions on the matter, monkeys," Zarbon replied harshly. "I've already prepared your space pods. Get to them immediately."

Gohan wanted so badly to attack Zarbon. Forget Frieza, _this_ man was his worst enemy at the moment. Zarbon had that kind of smug smirk that Gohan was eager to wipe off. The Saiyans reluctantly walked out of the building and to the space pods.

"I've just about had it with this crap!" Raditz exclaimed. "We're warriors, not _maids_!"

"This is absolutely ridiculous!" Vegeta sneered, showing an uncharacteristic level of frustration. He wanted nothing more than to burn this entire damned place to the ground. "Zarbon is pushing me to the absolute limits of my patience!"

Gohan was used to Chi-Chi having him do various chores, but _this_ was absurd. Zarbon didn't even give the slightest pretense that he _wasn't_ doing this for the sole purpose of treating he, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz like garbage. He may not have been a giant lump of pride like Vegeta, but Gohan was seriously irked by this whole predicament. He wasn't going to tolerate being used as a glorified maid.

The temperamental Saiyans got into their pods and blasted away from the godforsaken planet. When they arrived at Planet Kithra, they were immediately hit by the wave of hot, humid air. Gohan was startled by the planet's topography, or at least what was left of it. The place was an absolute warzone. Sure, they had messed up Planet Trident pretty badly, but their Great Ape forms had done such a thorough job that there really wasn't _that_ much to clean up in the first place. But _this_…this was hell.

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz didn't have any significant reactions to the scene. They had caused tons of similar "decorations" for years, so it was nothing. But the fact that they were tasked with cleaning it up because the Ginyu Force couldn't do it for themselves, and because Zarbon for his own twisted reasons didn't send a clean-up squad of weak trash, was a serious blow to the full-blooded Saiyans' pride.

"Let's try to get this bullshit over with as soon as possible. We will spread out and simply pile up all of these corpses and vaporize them. Sounds clear?" Vegeta ordered, his voice sounding very hoarse and annoyed.

"Yes, sir," Nappa, Raditz, and Gohan replied in unison.

The four Saiyans took to the sky and flew to different areas of the planet. As Gohan descended to the area he had chosen, he could no longer hide his revulsion. This place was _horrible_; this was nothing compared to his cleanup of Planet Trident. Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta handled the bulk of that planet and he merely cleaned up the forests. But this was a completely different story. The remains of the aliens that had been annihilated by the enigmatic Ginyu Force was a horrific sight, littered with decapitated heads, severed limbs, and corpses that looked like they had only been dead for a few hours. The mere smell was enough to make Gohan's stomach churn.

When Gohan landed on the ground, he squeezed his nose to fight back the odor as much as he possibly could. He could have simply fired his strongest blast at this place, but he remembered what Frieza said about wanting this planet's resources – he would surely be in trouble if he dealt any unnecessary destruction. As Gohan looked around, he was overwhelmed by just how _many_ bodies were lying around. If he were to pile them up, he was going to have to use both of his hands.

Gohan removed his fingers from the nose, and almost immediately, the nauseating smell from the rotting corpses invaded the boy's nostrils and made him sink to his knees. Fighting back the rush of vomit that rose to his throat, Gohan took a deep breath and began picking up the slimy, blood-stained remains of the aliens, dumping them onto one of the clear patches of land in a pile. Doing so caused the smell to accumulate, however, much to Gohan's chagrin.

After several agonizing minutes, which felt like hours to the demi-Saiyan, all of the remains in the area had been successfully piled up in one massive mound of rotting flesh. Gohan flew up high into the air and fired a controlled blast at the pile, setting the bodies ablaze. Not wanting the smell of the burning corpses to advance even the slightest inch to him, Gohan flew far away from the area, and spotted another place filled with dead bodies.

Unlike the last place, the bodies in this area were all intact. However, that was all the more horrifying to Gohan, as these ones were much more "fresh" than the previous set. The smell was far stronger, for one thing. As Gohan looked at the rotting faces of the bodies, which were being invaded by all sorts of slimy insects, he lost the strength in his knees. They all looked so…_alive_. The looks of terror were very visible among the faces, the remnants of their last breaths all being painted amongst the landscape. _These_ were the after-effects of the life Gohan lived. This was what would be left in the path to strength.

This truly was a cutthroat world.

Unable to hold in his nausea any longer, Gohan promptly vomited. The stench of death had more than made its mark on Gohan; he remained on his hands and knees, staring blankly at the ground. It wouldn't be until several hours later that he finally disposed of the bodies.

Many hours later, Gohan returned to where the space pods had landed. He had gotten rid of as much corpses as he could. Raditz, Nappa, and Vegeta were waiting for him. Vegeta raised a curious eyebrow at Gohan's different expression. His eyes…they were so empty. It was clear to him that Gohan had seen something that had deeply affected him.

Gohan spat at the ground. Everything that Vegeta had been telling him for so long had now fully sank in – in this world, only the strong survived, while the weak perished. The survival of the fittest spared _nobody_. If Gohan was ever going to gain power, he was going to have to throw away _everything_. His revulsion at the sight of death, his adamant disgust for violence, his sympathy for those dealt the cruel hand of fate. To survive under Frieza's rule, he was going to have to grow beyond those feelings.

He was to display no emotions at all.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back at the base, Gohan's cold disposition hadn't faltered in the least bit. Vegeta could see Gohan changing right before his eyes – with every assignment they did, the further his values were broken. The truth was, it seemed like Gohan <em>was<em> going to be just like him. _Just as planned_, Vegeta thought.

When they stepped in the building, Zarbon caught up to them as he walked by in passing. "Back already, I see? I need not guess that you _thoroughly _cleansed the planet?"

"_Yes_, Zarbon," Vegeta replied, not even attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice. Zarbon simply laughed and continued walking to wherever he was headed off to.

"Whatever; how about we get something to eat?" Nappa suggested.

"Suit yourself, Nappa. I'm going to train, as long as Zarbon doesn't come up with more stupid work for us to do," Raditz replied.

"Indeed. The last thing I'm going to do is allow my progress to falter," Vegeta added.

"Well, I'll join you two later," Nappa said before turning around and heading to one of the mess halls.

"Are you going to join us, brat?" Vegeta asked Gohan.

Gohan thought about the offer for a second, before answering, "I…think I'm going to get some rest."

Vegeta grunted in response. "Whatever; suit yourself, half-breed." Vegeta and Raditz walked off to the training facilities.

Gohan walked down the hallway. As he took his steps, he overheard sounds of laughter coming from his left. Gohan looked off to the side and saw five warriors of varying height and colors walking his way. The half-Saiyan shook his head and kept walking, until one of the men spoke up.

"So this must be the new Saiyan I've heard about," the purple, horned one said.

"Looks like a little runt to me," the tall, blue one remarked.

Gohan hissed in annoyance. "Is there a problem?" he impatiently asked.

The group of five all broke into boisterous laughter. "I don't think the little koala knows who we are, mates!" the one with red skin and long, flowing white hair said. Asides from the large soldier with red hair and tan skin, this was the most human-like of the band of the fighters. He had a very distinct accent.

"Well, I think we oughta show him!" the purple one replied.

On the purple man's cue, the five warriors all began doing rather absurd looking dances in the middle of the hallway. They looked like complete morons, their poses indicating fighters who thought _much_ too highly of themselves if they thought these actually looked good. They stopped when they were all bunched together, in different positions-

"JEICE!"

"BURTER!"

"GULDO!"

"RECOOME!"

"CAPTAIN GINYU!"

"WE ARE…" they all shouted in unison, **"…THE GINYU FORCE!"**

Gohan nearly fell on his face. _This_ was the Ginyu Force, the special squadron of fighters he had heard so much about? They looked less like fearsome warriors and more like rejects from the _Sentai_ shows Gohan used to watch with his father.

"Well, whaddaya think?" Captain Ginyu asked, with a smirk on his face as if he was actually _proud_ of that ridiculous display.

"Uh…"

Captain Ginyu gave Gohan an annoyed glare. "Don't tell me you can't comprehend the grand artistry of the _Ginyu Special Poses!_ Pfft, typical of you Saiyan monkeys!"

"Yeah, judgin' from that confused look on ya face, you can't comprehend the grand artistry of our poses!" Jeice insulted.

"…that's exactly what I said, dumbass."

Jeice slapped his forehead. "Oh, sorry Cap'n!"

These guys truly were a goofy bunch. They were a complete contrast to all of the stern, serious warriors that inhabited this base. How did _these_ guys ever make it to the highest rank in Frieza's army? They were absolute morons!

"Aww, be nice to the kid! He's an adorable little monkey!" said Guldo, the shortest fighter of the bunch. He was hideous, green, and had two large eyes on both sides of his head. He walked up to Gohan, who took a defensive step back. With no regard for Gohan's personal space, the ugly alien pinched both of his cheeks and stretched them around.

"Get off of me, you freak!" Gohan snarled, grabbing Guldo's wrist. However, Guldo inhaled and then held his breath, and in a flash he was suddenly behind him! Gohan's tail, which he had clumsily uncoiled from his waist, was taken into Guldo's tight grip. The pain from his squeeze caused Gohan to fall to his hands and knees. As Gohan fought back the intense strain, he mentally cursed himself. He didn't see the grubby turd of a fighter move; he didn't even feel him grab hold of his tail! One second, Guldo was squeezing his cheeks, and the next, he was behind him with his tail in his hand. The laughter from the rest of the squad further egged Gohan on.

"Bet you didn't know I could freeze time, did ya?" Guldo taunted.

"Gets them every time," Burter snickered.

Gohan clenched down on his teeth fiercely, trying to hold back any gasps of pain. If it weren't for his damned tail, he would have been choking Guldo to death right about now.

"Alright, Guldo, I think you've made your point clear. You can let the brat go now," Captain Ginyu ordered.

"Aww, I was having fun!" Guldo pouted, releasing Gohan's tail from his grip. "I hope you learned your lesson, monkey boy!"

"Groveling on the floor sure does suit you monkeys!" Recoome joked as they all walked past Gohan and went down the hall.

"At any rate, let's hurry up and report to Lord Frieza! I don't want to miss my Soaps!" Burter shouted.

"Ooh, is it _As the Universe Cycles_? I hear Chandrika's gettin' out of her coma today!" Jeice enthusiastically chimed in.

"I know, that's why I want to hurry up!" Burter said impatiently.

As soon as those idiots were no longer within earshot, Gohan irritably hissed and slammed his fist into the floor. His temper was nearing its limits – _everything _about this place made him want to scream. Every last warrior besides Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz made him want to spill their blood. He was going to show them _all_ one day, and the only way he was going to do that was getting stronger. And that meant his little "break" _had_ to stop.

Gohan got up and marched to the sleeping quarters. However, rest was the last thing on his mind. He just needed to find a place where he'd get a semblance of peace and quiet. Gohan began pacing around the room like a madman. It hadn't even dawned on him how much he was allowing everything to _get_ to him so much. He was now very conscious of the anger he was harboring, and his only option was acting out on it at this point.

Finally coming up with something, Gohan stormed out and headed for Frieza's throne room. Much to his relief, the Ginyu Force had just left, so he at least didn't have to be in their presence anymore. Without even consulting the two guards in front of him, Gohan slid open the doors to Frieza's room.

"_Lord_ Frieza!"

Needless to say, Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria were very surprised to see who had just swung the door open. Frieza looked at Gohan with very suspicious eyes.

"And just _what_ has made you decide it was a good idea to come barging in here unannounced, boy?" Frieza asked in a chilling, deceptively calm voice.

Realizing how abrupt his behavior was, Gohan took a deep breath and got one knee. He was going to have to be polite to get what he wanted. "My apologies, Lord Frieza," Gohan said with a shaky voice. He felt like such a disgrace for even saying such words. "I-I just had a request, sir."

Frieza looked on at Gohan, this time with interest. "Oh, is that so? Speak, boy."

"Can our 'break' be ended? There has to be some planet to assign us to," Gohan requested.

"Oh my," Frieza remarked, "I see you've become uncharacteristically eager! I am sure Vegeta put you up to this, am I right?"

"No, sir," Gohan replied, "I came here on my own accord. Just please, consider my request."

Frieza raised a hand to his chin, mulling over the half-breed's words. He wasn't sure whether he should honor Gohan's request or not. He had a very specific reason for putting the Saiyans on a break, but the boy's eagerness _did_ interest him. And he was right; there were a few planets that he had his eyes on. He had just sent the Ginyu Force on another assignment, and Avo and Cado were still completing purges of their own. He couldn't just leave the planets on the backburner, lest Cooler gobbled them up for himself.

"Fine," Frieza said. "I will grant your request. You should be very grateful for my _magnanimous_ gesture."

"Th-thank you, Lord Frieza," Gohan grumbled, still not comfortable with the idea of feigning obedience to the tyrant.

"You are dismissed; I will inform you and the other Saiyans of your assignment tomorrow," Frieza ordered.

Gohan nodded and left the room. With a bit of a spring in his step, Gohan ran down the hall and to the training facility. He kicked the door open and looked at his three comrades, who were startled by his intrusion, with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"I got us some work."


	7. Rebel Empire

Vegeta being surprised at how the brat was showing initiative was an understatement. And not only that, but then there was the fact that Frieza actually _listened_ to him and honored his request. Vegeta had been sure asking Frieza to give him work was a lost cause; had it been him that requested it, Frieza probably would have laughed him off. Perhaps Frieza had been just as surprised by Gohan's ambition as he was and decided to quench his thirst. Whatever the case was, Vegeta was damn glad he was done sitting on his ass.

The day after he was given the news from Gohan, he and his comrades walked into Frieza's throne room to be briefed on their assignment. They got on their usual kneeling position as Frieza began giving his instructions. Zarbon didn't look too pleased when the Saiyans came in.

"As I am sure you four already know, your break has been cut short," Frieza said, his politeness never faltering, "Sad, I know, because I'm adamantly of the belief that people need some, 'time to breathe.' But alas, you all insist."

Vegeta was tempted to shout at Frieza to get to the point. His feigned tenderness never ceased to irritate the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta snuck a glance at Zarbon, whose eyebrows were furrowed in agitation over the fact that he was no longer able to treat him and his men like slaves. He couldn't help but crack a smirk at him.

"Now, as for your new mission; there's a planet in the west sector that I've had my eyes on for some time. It goes far beyond what my standard soldiers are capable of, and I have been giving the Ginyu Force, Avo, and Cado quite the amount of work lately," Frieza's lips curled into an amused grin, as if he were trying to hold back laughter, "And well, I've been trying to keep you all from _overexerting _yourselves." Upon seeing the looks of frustration creep up on Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, and Gohan's faces, Frieza gave a satisfied smirk. "I haven't reviewed the planet in a quite a while, but nothing out of the ordinary should have occurred recently; from what I remembered, the average power level was about 22,000."

Hearing that number caused Vegeta's eyes to light up in anticipation. _22,000_. That was the best news Vegeta had heard in the past few days. He set his eyes on Nappa, who couldn't even hide the grin on his face. 22,000 was the same power level as Dodoria, though he was sure the pink bastard was doing enough training to surpass that. Regardless, if everything went right, he would come out much more powerful.

Gohan was also excited to hear the news. Though 22,000 went far beyond his current level, it was the average number – it meant that the planet was rife with powerful warriors. With Vegeta on his side, he was comfortable knowing that he had a chance of survival. This was his chance to prove his toughness and begin his path to ultimate strength.

"The name of the Planet is Raizen. Its coordinates are 1112AF. Given the immense size of the planet, as well as the considerable population, I am giving you all a one week deadline to purge the planet of all of its life. Do not disappoint me, Saiyans, because if there's one thing I despise, it is having my time wasted on people not fit to answer their callings," Frieza said, his tone giving warning to the Saiyan warriors.

"Thank you, Lord Frieza," Vegeta said. He was so glad to have a powerful planet that he was actually expressing gratitude to the tyrant without being told to do so, which was a rare thing.

"Oh my!" Lord Frieza said, with mocking surprise. "It warms my heart to see my gracious actions being presented with such thankfulness by my _favorite_ pet."

Whatever gratitude Vegeta had disappeared, as he gave Frieza an intense glare. Frieza merely snickered in response; pushing Vegeta's buttons never got old to the icy ruler.

"Your mission is to begin immediately; wouldn't want Cooler discovering it at any second, after all," Frieza explained. "You are all dismissed."

The Saiyan quartet hastily left Frieza's throne room. As they headed to their spaceships outside, Nappa slapped Gohan so hard on the back that the boy nearly fell over. "I'll tell ya, that was a smart move on your part, kid! Bringing you here really was a good idea!"

Gohan couldn't fight the feeling of pride swelling within him. Though he had done it mostly for himself, he was glad he could help his Saiyan comrades and that they were actually thankful for his actions.

"Hey, give me credit; it was _my_ idea to bring him here in the first place," Raditz remarked with a smirk.

"No matter, men," Vegeta replied. He turned his attention to Gohan, looking at the boy with a smirk. "See what happens when you show initiative, brat? It looks like you're finally starting to learn a thing or two."

"It's just, all these people here are really ticking me off, you know?" Gohan said. "I ran into the Ginyu Force, and I couldn't take it anymore after seeing those morons."

"Ah, the Ginyus," Nappa replied. "Yeah, those bastards are a handful; I'm surprised you haven't killed Guldo yet, Vegeta."

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "That grubby, smelly, bastard will see the day eventually. If it weren't for his status I would have long since destroyed that pathetic weakling."

"Guldo…the one with four eyes? Yeah, that was the guy that did it. The rest of them kept making fun of me, but then he had to put his stupid hands on me," Gohan remarked. He smacked his fist, growing angry as he remembered his encounter with the four eyed freak.

"Guldo is an idiot only useful for his psychic abilities; much like Zarbon and the vast majority of the people inhabiting this particular base, he has the mistaken idea of his true place," Vegeta said.

Gohan nodded as he listened to his elders' conversation. He was seeing why these Saiyans were the way they were; people constantly mocking them, thinking they could do whatever they wanted. The only way they could operate was remaining assertive.

The Saiyans stepped into their space pods. Gohan took a seat in the cramped area as an automated voice came on through the speakers.

_"Destination set by Vegeta to Planet 1112AF. Confirm or deny?"_

"Confirm," Gohan answered.

With that, the door closed, and Gohan's pod blasted off.

Gohan's space pod was closing in on the planet's atmosphere. He was eager to land and face the powerful warriors on the planet. The speedy landing of his pod had become a pretty standard procedure…

…which was why he didn't see what happened next coming. His ship was suddenly hit by a large impact that destroyed the bottom left half of his pod. Gohan shrieked in shock as he hastily pressed the button on the control deck, trying to get in touch with his comrades.

"What in the world is going on?" he exclaimed.

"I don't know…you've been attacked, too?" Vegeta's voice came in on the other end. It was very weak sounding, and Gohan could hear the sounds of flames raging in the background.

Before Gohan could even respond, another blast hit his ship, completely destroying the door. Gohan's pod accelerated as it began its descent to the ground, and Gohan would have fallen out of the ship had he not kept a tight grip on the control deck. The pod finally crash landed and exploded into nothing but a pile of metal when it slammed into the ground.

Gohan could barely find the strength to breathe as he tried to run his hands through various pieces of metal he was buried under. Everything happened so fast he couldn't even gather his thoughts. He could feel his power depleting and his consciousness fading. As he used all of his effort trying to crawl out of the sea of hot metal and smoke, he could hear a faint voice.

"They're definitely with Frieza…the armor's a dead giveaway."

That was all Gohan heard before everything went black.

* * *

><p>As Gohan's eyes slowly drifted open, he let out a loud groan. He lifted his head up off of the cold surface he had been lying on top of and sat up, looking down at the floor. His hands were locked into large metal shackles. His armor was badly damaged, and his arms and back ached terribly. His scouter was also gone. He tried to break out of the shackles, which would have been an easy job, but he couldn't. The half-Saiyan couldn't even summon up his Ki, no matter how hard he tried.<p>

Gohan looked off to the side and saw Vegeta and Nappa both leaning against the wall, conscious, and incredibly angry. Their armors were both badly damaged, just like his, with Vegeta's missing an entire shoulder guard. The Prince's face was tattered with bruises and burns, and his eyes were bloodshot. Nappa had his fair share of cuts, too, but not as bad as Vegeta. To Gohan's right was Raditz, who was still unconscious.

"Where are we?" Gohan nervously asked.

"Where the hell do you think? We're obviously imprisoned," Vegeta hissed, his voice hoarse.

"Can't we break ourselves out pretty ea-"

"If we could, don't you think we would have already?" Vegeta suddenly snapped. "If you haven't noticed, these shackles we're locked in absorb energy."

Gohan nodded in acknowledgement before slowly standing up to his feet. Across from him were metal bars, which kept him and the Saiyans caged. Out of curiosity, he lifted his foot towards them, trying to see if he could kick it.

"Don't even think about it, brat," Vegeta warned, "Unless you want to end up like Raditz over here." He titled his head towards the unconscious long haired Saiyan on the other side of the cell.

Gohan looked at his uncle. He had bad burns all over his legs, and his face looked very strained, indicating he had been in pain prior to passing out.

"Dumb bastard tried to kick the bars down and got electrocuted," Nappa remarked. "He'll get up eventually."

"Like it matters if he gets up, anyway. He'd deserve to die if he let that kill him," Vegeta said, his voice cold.

Gohan gave Vegeta an uneasy glance, visibly distraught by Vegeta's callous disregard for his longtime comrade. Vegeta scoffed at the boy, scolding him for his discomfort. Not wanting to look at Vegeta's intense gaze any longer, Gohan turned his head back to the bars and took a seat. He looked at his surroundings. Wherever they were at was very dark, and humid as well. He couldn't even tell whether or not there were other jail cells around.

Nappa slammed the back of his head into the wall behind him. "Man, this pisses me off! Frieza finally gets us a good planet and _this_ happens! Tch, wouldn't be surprised if this was all a setup."

Vegeta snorted and looked straight ahead. It honestly wouldn't have surprised him if all of this _was_ a setup from Frieza. Maybe the bastard finally grew tired of him and his men and decided to take them out for good. Frieza was very well known for his subtlety, pulling strings and setting insidious plots up in matters that would take any sort of suspicion off of him; he probably had hundreds, if not thousands of these types of case currently boiling beneath the surface. Even he had to answer to somebody – his father, King Cold. He couldn't have somebody killed without the proper suspicion or provocation. Sending the Saiyans to some planet and then capturing them was a solid plan – they didn't even see it coming, for one thing.

_Then again, he'd probably kill _me_ for himself…_

The Prince's thoughts were cut off when his sensitive ears picked up something far off in the distance. He peered his head out to the side, catching the attention of Nappa and Gohan. Vegeta tried to get a look at anybody headed their way, but it was too fucking dark. As the sound drew closer, he could hear it more clearly – footsteps. His eye twitched, as even in spite of his current predicament, he was ready for a fight if need be. As the steps came closer to where he was at, he could make out a body – multiple bodies, actually. The figures finally came out from the shadows, turning so they were standing across from the cell.

Vegeta and Nappa both looked at the three figures in front of them with surprise. They didn't know who the two men standing at the side were, but the one in the middle was very familiar to them. He had messy, dark blue hair that stopped at his shoulders, and a scar over his shut left eye. His skin was a tan color, only slightly lighter than Vegeta's.

"Kabnet?" Vegeta rasped out.

The man in the middle snickered at the Saiyan. "Yes, indeed, Vegeta," he replied. His voice was very deep, yet smooth. "I'm honestly surprised that _you're _here. I knew that bastard Frieza would eventually find me and send somebody here, but I didn't think it'd be the Saiyans."

"What the hell are you doing here? I haven't heard from you in years," Vegeta sneered. Kabnet – he was a stray soldier who had been on the Cold Empire's most wanted list for decades. Previously, he was one of the top ranking men in Frieza's army, on the level of even the Ginyu Force. Nobody had even a clue what he was up to, and Vegeta figured that everyone gave up on trying to find him. Fancy that _he_ should be the one to run into the bastard.

"Oh, so you _weren't_ sent after me," Kabnet replied. "Figures that idiot was too careless to realize I was on this planet."

"What's a coward like you doing on a planet with warriors this powerful, huh?" Vegeta asked, his tone challenging.

Kabnet and his men simply laughed. "Oh, you simple minded fool – my men and I cleared this planet of its population ages ago; it can barely even be called Planet Raizen now."

Vegeta, Nappa, and Gohan all looked at Kabnet with wide eyes. Everyone on here was _dead_? That made this whole assignment pointless; how were they even going to explain this to Frieza?

_Damn that rat!_ Vegeta said to himself. _I should have figured something was going to go wrong when he said he hadn't reviewed this planet in a while. He didn't even realize this bastard swallowed it up for himself!_

"You mean to tell me Frieza is so far behind the times that he hadn't realized that _I_ took this planet into my dominion? Figures," Kabnet said with a snort.

"What do you mean, 'dominion'?" Nappa asked.

Kabnet's smirk faded as he fixed the three Saiyans with a dark, stern stare. "Do you want to know why I've been gone for so long, Saiyans?" he asked. "_Power._ I got sick of being a dog, answering to the whim of some flamboyant tyrant that treated me like worthless trash. While Frieza and his clan have been running about the universe all of these years, I have been plotting…scheming within the shadows, and forming an empire of my own."

"Don't make me laugh," Vegeta scoffed. "Frieza could wipe whatever joke you call an 'empire' out easily."

"Silence, fool!" Kabnet barked. "Though my empire may be a mere speck on the map compared to that of Frieza's alone, we are growing in power by the day. That is why we attacked you men's spaceships – we can't have Frieza discovering us now, while we're still too small to put forth much of an effort." Kabnet's face bore an ambitious expression as he continued to observe the Saiyans. "Unless…"

"What?" Vegeta impatiently asked.

"Unless, you all want to join me," Kabnet said. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at Kabnet's offer. Nappa simply snorted in disgust, while Gohan looked at the man with uncertainty. Slowly, Raditz began to wake up, sitting up and scratching the back of his head. He looked at the three men across him with shock.

"What the hell-"

"Shut up, idiot!" Vegeta snapped.

Kabnet continued as if he hadn't even been interrupted. "I've heard stories about you, _Prince_ Vegeta. You're a man of great pride, one who will kill any ill-fated being who crosses you without remorse. It must eat you up inside to have to kneel before that lizard, dirtying up the universe in his name. If you were to join me, we would prove to be a force to be reckoned with against Frieza."

Vegeta snorted in disgust, as if it were the most absurd idea he had ever heard in his 29 years of life. "You're out of your mind, Kabnet. It doesn't matter how far across the universe you expand – as soon as Frieza sees you as a threat, he will destroy you and your whole organization with only his fingertip."

He wasn't bluffing. Many years ago, Vegeta had witnessed the true power of his tyrant ruler with his own two eyes. A group of soldiers had tried to revolt, taking refuge on a remote planet Frieza hadn't checked before. Upon discovering them, Frieza blew the entire planet to smithereens with nothing but a single horrific blast that he formed with his mere index finger. Vegeta had quivered in fear at the sight.

That was the day Vegeta had truly realized how large the difference between he and Frieza's power was. It had dawned on him that all he could was patiently wait.

"Wrong answer. Either you join my effort, or die here. Anybody who isn't with me is against me." Kabnet said.

Vegeta laughed. "You know, you're a lot like me. I salivate the day I finally defeat Frieza; but that day won't come for a long time. You don't have a single fucking _clue_ how powerful Frieza is – he goes beyond all form of comprehension.

"And not only that, but when I take that bastard down, it will be in my name only. The universe is mine for the taking; if I joined you, I'd be exactly where I was before," Vegeta stated. He smirked at the rebel ruler. "Though admittedly, a goal of defeating you is much more attainable."

Kabnet glared at Vegeta, his eyes filled with venomous hatred over having his power belittled like that. "How dare you talk to me like that, you Saiyan trash! I could have all four of you monkeys killed right now!"

"Well it's not like Vegeta's lying."

All eyes turned to the four-year old, shaggy haired, half-Saiyan in the middle. "This whole thing is completely pointless. Frieza's gonna kill all of you when he realizes something's up with this planet. You might as well just let us go, because nothing you can do will stop him."

"Shut up, you little brat! We have spent years building the proper technology to defeat Frieza! Poisons, machines; you name it, we've got it! For what we lack in power, we more than make up for with brains. Those energy absorbing shackles, for example – a scientist I discovered spent many years designing the correct mechanisms."

Gohan arrogantly smirked at the would-be emperor. "Years? That's not all that impressive. My dad knows this blue-haired girl who could make stuff like this in five minutes if she felt like it!"

Vegeta sighed and leaned his head against the wall. The brat had chosen the wrong time to drop his shyness. He was at least pleased to see that he was gaining some confidence, though. He snuck a glance at Gohan and could have sworn he was looking at himself when he saw the confident, firm look in the boy's face.

"It doesn't matter!" Kabnet retorted. "Besides, I have a hard time believing the words of a brat."

Gohan, as if proving he was just a kid, stuck his tongue out at Kabnet. Vegeta hissed in agitation and buried his head in shame, though Nappa laughed a bit. Kabnet smirked and advanced towards the jail bars. Gohan had been close enough so that he was able to reach out and grab him by the hair. He lifted Gohan up so that he was looking at him at eye-level. Gohan kicked his feet around in protest and was surprised by just how tight this man's grip was.

"Look at you, you're just a kid who thinks he's a big shot because he works for Frieza," he snickered. "You couldn't even lick my boots."

Kabnet put his other hand through the bars and squeezed Gohan's cheeks in a belittling gesture. Gohan snarled at the man in rage, frustrated beyond his wits at having somebody do this yet again to him. Knowing he couldn't use his Ki to just blast him in the face at the moment, the four-year old did the only thing he thought was feasible at the moment-

He spat in his face.

To say that Kabnet was enraged was an understatement. His eyes were nearly bulging out of his head, in disbelief over the insolent classless of the half-breed child. The man was so mad he was trembling as he looked at Gohan with a glare that made him feel a shortness of breath. Letting out a growl that sounded animalistic, Kabnet violently tossed Gohan to the ground.

"I have had it! _Nobody_ spits in my face and lives to tell about it!" he shouted, his voice nearly cracking. "Men! Send the brat to the execution chamber at once!"

Gohan's heart sank to the pits of his stomach. _Execution_ chamber? Gohan couldn't even find the strength to stand as he looked at the angry "emperor" in fear of what his fate was. A simple act of impulsiveness had now cost him his life.

The man standing to Kabnet's right pressed a button on the wall. Almost immediately, the bars rose up. Vegeta and Nappa's faces lit up in realization, and the two, along with Raditz, exchanged looks with each other. Was this _their_ ticket out, too?

However, whatever ideas Vegeta had were terminated when he saw the look on the other man's face. He was practically daring the Prince to challenge him so he could take him down. Realizing how disadvantaged he was with his lack of access to his Ki, Vegeta hissed and leaned his head against the wall once again.

The other man lifted Gohan up by the hair and gave Kabnet a nod before heading off. Vegeta looked on at the sight and cursed himself, feeling shame over being unable to fulfill his duty of protecting the half-breed. He had now lost a powerful ally.

Then again, he _was _a tough kid. Maybe he'd figure a way out, however ridiculous that thought was.

"Now that we've gotten _that_ out of the way," Kabnet remarked, glancing at the soldier taking Gohan away, "Let's get back to you. So, are you going to join us, or rot in hell?" As if he were trying to punctuate his threat, Kabnet clenched his fit and raised it high up. It began glowing with a bright yellow Ki.

Vegeta simply stared at Kabnet, as if he were mulling over his options. His eyes were locked on his glowing, yellow hand. Vegeta knew that though Kabnet was hopeless compared to Frieza, he wasn't a top ranking soldier for no reason. Even at his best, Vegeta wouldn't be able to take him.

Raditz and Nappa anxiously looked at their superior, as his choice directly affected their fates as well. Kabnet tapped his feet impatiently as Vegeta continued looking at him blankly. His bloodshot eyes were completely unreadable.

Finally, after about a minute, Vegeta answered. "I'll think about it."

Nappa and Raditz looked at Vegeta with wide eyes while Kabnet raised an eyebrow. "Think about it, what do you mean?"

"What do you think? Changing allegiances isn't exactly the easiest thing for me to do…I'll think about my choices and get back to you." Vegeta said, his voice much more casual and his features relaxed. Nappa and Raditz wanted to laugh – they knew that expression as well as they did his default, angry one. It was only reserved for special scenarios like this.

Kabnet sighed. "Fine. But it better be what I want it to be, got it? You," Kabnet directed, looking at his other assistant, "Make sure these Saiyans don't try anything funny, understood?"

"Yes, sir," the man said. Kabnet left the premises, leaving him alone with the three Saiyans.

What Vegeta said was a half-lie. He certainly was going to think, but not about whether or not he was going to join Kabnet. That was a simple choice – if he directly joined him, he'd be committing treason, practically signing off his death warrant. He didn't know anywhere he would be able to hide, and it wasn't like he knew a quick scheme at getting stronger. His only option was patiently waiting for the day he would ascend into a _Super Saiyan_. Then, Frieza would be dethroned.

He instead was going to think about how he was going to get the hell out of here. Without his energy, he was only able to rely on ingenuity; but while that would've been a problem for a brainless oaf like Nappa, Vegeta and Raditz were both known for their tactical approaches.

_Have you come up with anything, Raditz?_ Vegeta asked, communicating with the long-haired Saiyan telepathically.

_I haven't a clue,_ Raditz replied. _Without our energy, how the hell are we ever going to escape? Kabnet's going to get impatient eventually, and the half-breed's as good as dead, so he won't be able to bust us out._

Vegeta looked at the other guard who was watching them, making sure they didn't come up with an escape plan. That's when a light bulb went off in his head. Sure, Raditz was moderately smart, but he wasn't the born tactician that he was; he wasn't a master at manipulation. Vegeta mentally slapped himself - why hadn't he come up with _that_ particular approach sooner?

"Hey, you," Vegeta roughly called out, turning his attention to the guard. "I'm curious – what made you decide to start working for Kabnet? You are aware of how strong Frieza is, correct?"

"That does not matter, Saiyan!" the man snapped. "I am a loyal soldier, and have confidence in Kabnet's ability to form an empire!"

Vegeta simply laughed. "You fool, you have no idea. Let me tell you something – I once saw Frieza destroy an entire planet with a blast formed from his _finger_; an _entire_ _planet_, blown into nothing but dust. Do you think Kabnet is really strong enough to take a man that powerful on? And don't even get me started on his brother and his father."

The man looked at Vegeta with uncertainty. Vegeta gave a satisfied smirk upon seeing a change in the man's expression; though the room was dark, he could see the look on his face as clear as day – _fear_. Though the Prince of Saiyans detested Frieza, he was more than happy to use the reputation the man had gained throughout the dredges of the cosmos to his favor.

"A-are you serious?" he said in a near-whisper.

"As serious as death," Vegeta answered, his voice solemn. "How about it? Join us; being on Kabnet's side is a lost cause – you'll be destroyed in an instant. Instead, work with Frieza. Feign obedience, do his assignments, and get stronger. You will have power beyond your wildest dreams while still being in his favor."

The man didn't even have to think before making his decision. "Fine…I'll do it! Anything's better than fighting a battle that I can't even win."

Vegeta gave the man an easy-going smile. "I knew you'd see things my way. Now, we can't form an alliance doing nothing – free us from these chains, first!" he said, his voice very cheerful.

The guard dug into his pocket and found a key. Walking into the opened cell, the guard walked up to Vegeta and placed a key into the slot on the side of Vegeta's shackle. With a simple twist, the shackles opened, freeing Vegeta's hands from their grip. Vegeta tossed the metal clamps to the floor and stood back up, and then extended his hand out to the soldier.

"To make our alliance official," Vegeta said.

The man smiled and gave Vegeta a firm handshake. After unlocking Nappa's shackles, the man turned around and headed towards Raditz, while Vegeta stared at him intensely, his eyes narrowed in focus. His face was darker than before, holding a look of malicious intent. The Saiyan warrior suddenly grabbed the man by the back of the neck, roughly pulled him towards him, and then ruthlessly drove his fist through his chest. Vegeta nonchalantly tossed the dead, naïve guard to the floor.

"Damn, Vegeta, did you really have to kill the poor son of a bitch?" Nappa asked, looking at the lifeless corpse lying in front of him.

Vegeta simply grunted and then picked up the key lying beside the fallen guard. He unlocked Raditz's chain and turned back around to his longtime ally. "Look at how quickly he decided to join us. The weakling could have easily been swayed back to Kabnet's side."

Nappa nodded in agreement. "Ah, I see your point. Good thinking."

"Hn."

"So, what do we do now? These guys have a whole army, and we don't know our way around this place. And without our scouters, we can't get to anyone," Raditz said. There was a hint of anxiety in his voice. "And I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I don't feel all of my power coming back to me yet."

Vegeta deviously smirked at Raditz. "Come on, now; has my intelligence ever failed us before?"

* * *

><p>Gohan anxiously sat in a large, steel chair, staring at the metal bars in front of him. There were clamps around his wrists and feet, and attached to the chair were various electrical wires. The guard didn't even have to tell the half-Saiyan his fate for him to realize that he was sitting in an electric chair. The guard that brought him down there went about other tasks, drawing out Gohan's execution. He just wanted to get it over with, so he would have nothing to fear anymore. It was a shame – he wanted so badly to get stronger, and carry out his revenge on Frieza, but it looked like this was the end of the road for him.<p>

The room was a lot livelier than the cell he was in before. The lights were on, and bright, and the walls were all painted white, probably so the executioners could see what they were doing. As Gohan awaited his death, a figure came into the room and stood in front of him. It was a girl, who was about his height. She didn't look much younger than him, actually. She was wearing a grey tank top and puffy black pants. Her long, black hair was tied up in a ponytail and she had one large bang going across her forehead. In fact…she actually looked like a human. If it weren't for how implausible that scenario was, Gohan would've thought she was one.

"Poor little bastard…" she said sympathetically, as she looked at Gohan from behind the bars. "So what'd you do to piss Kabnet off, huh?"

"I spit in his face," Gohan flatly replied.

The girl winced and then whistled. "Ooh, yikes! Gee, no wonder he's executin' you!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the girl. She was talking with such youthful enthusiasm, even in a place like this! She was now staring at Gohan as if she were surveying his appearance. A guard walked into the room, brushing past the girl and walking straight ahead.

"Hey, wanna see somethin' cool?" she asked. Gohan merely shrugged. The girl ran up to the guard and jumped up onto his back, startling the man. She placed one hand on his temple, another on his chin, and then, in one swift motion, violently wrenched his neck. The move killed him instantly.

Gohan looked at the girl in shock. She looked like such an average kid, yet she just killed a guy that was three times her size without even breaking a sweat! The girl dug into the man's pocket and retrieved a key. She rushed towards Gohan's cell and unlocked it, raising the bars up. She then pressed a button on the side of Gohan's electric chair, which removed the metal clamps around Gohan's arms and legs. Gohan simply stared at the girl, not knowing what to say over how she just helped him.

The girl gave Gohan an annoyed glare and put her hands on her hips. "Well, are you just gonna sit there starin' at me all day? Get up!"

Gohan nervously laughed and jumped out of his chair. "Uh…thanks."

"Don't mention it," she shrugged. "I'm Arepa, by the way."

Gohan nodded. "Why did you save me?"

"Well, judgin' from that tail of yours, I figured you were a Saiyan. My pops met a Saiyan a reeeeeeeeaaaaally long time ago, he once told me. In the picture he showed me, he had a badass lookin' scar on his face and hair that stuck out like a palm tree. Somethin' about you reminded me of him," Arepa replied.

"And you know that whole pops thing? Yeah, Kabnet killed him and made me join him 'cause I had lotsa power, so I really don't like the bastard. When I heard about some dudes from Frieza showin' up, I figured this was my ticket outta here!" Arepa explained. She gave Gohan a wink. "And I think you're kinda cute."

Gohan's cheeks went red and he scratched the back of his head. Arepa roughly slapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, quit it, kid! You're actin' like you've never seen a girl before! What's your name?"

"Son Gohan."

"That doesn't sound like a Saiyan name," Arepa remarked, "Most of 'em sound like vegetables. Oh well. How old're you?"

"Four and a half."

"Damn, you're not even that much younger than me! I'm six!" Arepa replied.

Gohan was utterly confused as he looked at the hyperactive girl in front of him. Even though she was only six years old, she was very powerful and used as many swears in conversation as Vegeta and Nappa. She seemed so aloof and happy, but from what she had just told him, her life was hard; maybe even worse than his.

Gohan started punching at the air – it was a relief to no longer have those shackles around him. He could move his arms around as freely before. However, his Ki was only returning to him at a very slow rate. He didn't have nearly the amount of power he was used to. And not only that, but he was still in pain from his crash landing.

Arepa tossed a bottle at him, which Gohan easily caught. "Those energy absorbin' shackles are a bitch, huh? Just drink that and it oughta fix you right up!"

Gohan looked down at the bottle and removed the cap. He inspected the drink, not sure of whether or not all of this was an elaborate setup by the girl. He looked up at her, and she was staring at him with bright, glimmering eyes. It was almost like she wasn't even aware of the air of distrust surrounding Gohan. She didn't seem like a suspicious person to the half-breed. Gohan decided to take a sip of the substance in the bottle. Almost instantly, Gohan could feel his Ki come back to him. To confirm it, he raised his arm and aimed it at the electric chair. It began glowing with a bright, blue ball of Ki, and he fired it at the chair, vaporizing it.

"Ah…good," Gohan said.

"Pretty cool, huh? That drink brings back all of the energy in you," Arepa remarked. "Of course, I consider myself pretty good, too." Arepa raised her arm up and aimed it at the door across from her. She fired a yellow Ki blast at it that turned the door into space dust.

"Whoa, you really are strong," Gohan observed.

Arepa sighed and looked at Gohan like he was an idiot."Well, duh, why d'you think Kabnet made me join his army in the first place?" Arepa grabbed Gohan's wrist. "Now, let's get the hell outta here!"


	8. Gohan's Big Break

Every now and then, there was one of those occasions where Vegeta was drawing a blank as to what course of action to take.

As the Saiyan Prince crawled through the vents of the large building he was currently in, with Raditz and Nappa trailing behind him, he tried to formulate a strategy for escaping the planet but had absolutely no clue where to begin. He was completely outnumbered on this planet. His, Nappa's, and Raditz's scouters were gone. Gohan was likely dead. His spaceship was destroyed. Kabnet was much stronger than him, even at his full power.

And speaking of his full power, that was what distressed Vegeta even worse. Raditz wasn't just speaking for himself when he mentioned his power was only returning to him at a slow rate. It had taken Vegeta an alarmingly large effort to even form a blast strong enough to blow a hole in the ceiling. The way he was now, he wasn't even stronger than Nappa was at his full power. The flame-haired Saiyan had always taken pride in his expert intelligence, but this gravity of this situation was starting to become more and more apparent as he continued inching his way through the cold vents.

His only option at this point was to unleash the Great Ape form. But again, that didn't address the most important issue: how the fuck was he going to get off of this planet? Common sense denoted that Kabnet had modes of transportation on his planet, but if he used the Great Ape, he was running to great of a risk. What if he destroyed any sort of spaceship lying around? Just one wayward blast, and he'd be stranded on this planet with no form of communication. He _could _go with the coercion method without even running into Kabnet, perhaps forcing one of the weaker soldiers to find him a ship, but then that brought another problem-

_There's no way in hell I'd go unpunished for leaving a planet untouched. Lord knows Frieza hates having to clean up our messes, not to mention those bastards would never let me live it down_, Vegeta thought to himself, a scowl fixated on his face. If there was one thing he hated, it was having to swallow his pride for anything. The constant trials of humiliation he suffered in his servitude under Frieza pushed him to his absolute limits, and there was only so much he could take.

Vegeta cursed Kabnet for putting together an army with no formal armor, it seemed. If that were the case he would've stripped the naïve soldier he had killed of his armor and put it on for himself, and stealthily took out more men so Nappa and Raditz could have their own sets. From there, he would have taken down this army from the inside out, probably catching Kabnet off guard, striking a critical blow when he was too comfortable.

_Feh, no use dwelling on it, now. It's not like luck is ever on my side, anyway…_

While Vegeta continued crawling, he could hear something going on from below the vents. He froze in the middle of the cramped space and lowered his head so he could hear what was happening more clearly.

A loud banging sound could be heard. "What do you mean the Saiyans are gone?" a voice furiously asked. It sounded like it belonged to Kabnet.

"Sir, I am not mistaken – the shackles were all lying on the floor and whoever you left to look after them was dead!" the other man answered, his voice sounding very nervous, "There was also a hole in the ceiling, sire."

More banging sounds. "A hole in the ceiling? Why didn't you climb in and go after them?"

"Well, sir-"

What sounded like an energy blast could be heard being fired and the distinct sound of a blood-curdling scream rang through the air. "Damn those Saiyan monkeys! They're much smarter than I thought! Peconne; send an alert to the soldiers to meet outside _immediately_! Those Saiyans aren't getting out of here alive. As soon as they come out, we will blast them to kingdom come!"

Sweat began dripping down Vegeta's head. "Shit," he whispered. Nappa and Raditz both looked at Vegeta apprehensively, trying to figure out what they were going to do now. When Vegeta overheard furious steps drawing further away from the area, he looked over his shoulder at his two subordinates. They were as confused as he was.

Finally, Vegeta let out an animalistic growl of anger and frustration. The Prince slammed his fist against the bottom of the vent, putting a dent in it. "Dammit, they're onto us! If these bastards want a war, we will give them one!"

Well beyond the point of sanity, Vegeta mustered up as much strength as he had at the moment and blasted a hole through the vent, and then jumped down it to the floor below. Nappa and Raditz exchanged confused glances before shrugging and following his lead. Vegeta rushed to the door at the end of the room and slammed it shut, not acknowledging the screaming alien subordinate sitting behind a massive control deck.

The bird-like alien frantically turned around and pressed some sort of button, but before he could even open his mouth to speak, a furry, brown appendage wrapped itself tightly around his neck, cutting his breath short. The alien futilely grabbed whatever was choking him as he let out strained gasps.

"Don't even scream," a downright sinister voice warned from behind him, speaking almost directly into his ear. The alien, Peconne, drifted his eyes to the side and saw the object of his worst nightmare – a certain flame-haired Saiyan warrior. Vegeta was fixing him with a murderous glare, his eyes harboring a fierce bloodlust. The Prince raised his left hand, which was now engulfed in a yellow Ki shaped into that of a blade. He thrust his hand until it was mere inches from the alien's head.

"You are to do exactly as I say, understand?" Vegeta harshly commanded.

The alien didn't respond. Vegeta tightened the grip of his tail around his throat.

"UNDERSTAND?"

The bird weakly nodded. Vegeta finally released his tail from the man's throat and smirked as he watched him desperately cough and gasp for air. "Now then, I have some good news for you; you're about to participate in your first battle," Vegeta explained like he was telling him an exciting breaking news story.

"The answer to this next question will determine if you live even a second further – what is your role in Kabnet's army? You are most certainly not a fighter," Vegeta asked, not letting up his dark, intimidating gaze for a second.

Peconne could only frantically stammer. He had heard stories of Vegeta, but seeing the man in person was downright frightening. Growing impatient with his hesitance, Vegeta fired a vicious energy blast right at the man's wrist. The meek alien let out an agonized scream before responding, "T-top scientist…please don't kill me…"

Vegeta tilted his head back and gave Peconne an interested smirk. "Oh, is that so? What is the extent of your genius? Did you design those cowardly shackles that my men and I were locked in?"

"Y-yes, I designed that," Peconne weakly answered, tending to his injured wrist, "Blueprinted all of the technology and weaponry…this army employs…"

"Really, now?" Vegeta asked with curiosity. "So I'm assuming you're an invaluable part of this army; am I right?"

Peconne nodded, which was all the answer Vegeta needed. He turned to Nappa and Raditz, and the three of them looked at each other as if they were having some sort of silent conversation. Without warning, Vegeta hauled Peconne up by his injured wrist and in a ballsy move, fired a blast at the large window from across the room, shattering it to pieces. The Saiyan advanced towards the new hole leading to the outside, getting a good look at what was waiting for him. There were soldiers – _hundreds_ of them. None of them were wearing armor, as Vegeta suspected earlier, but they were armed with various weapons. All of their heads tilted up to the destroyed window, and the man behind them all, Kabnet, looked up, scowling when he saw Vegeta.

"At last you've shown yourself, Vegeta! You should have joined me!" Kabnet shouted. "Oh well, it is much too late! Men…?"

"Not so fast!" Vegeta exclaimed from above. He floated from out of the room, dragging Peconne with him. He swung him up so he was standing a few inches in front of him. "It is my understanding that this man designed all of the weapons your men are currently using! Unless you want to see all of your future progress go straight to hell, I suggest you halt your attack!"

Kabnet clenched his fists tightly and grit his teeth. _Dammit…this man is good! I never predicted he would pull something like this…!_

Peconne was quivering in fear under Vegeta's hold. If he would have known he would be used as leverage like this, he would have never even mentioned his scientific prowess. He was absolutely sure Vegeta would throw him to the birds if it came down to it.

Nappa and Raditz looked at their Prince with admiration. "Yeah, that's more like it, Vegeta! Always a step ahead!" Nappa remarked.

Vegeta looked on at the army with a triumphant smirk. He had these bastards right where he wanted them. "I have some specific demands, Kabnet! You will tell us exactly how to get us off of this planet. And when you do, you will come with us! The last thing I need is to be chewed out for not completing an assignment, but I suppose bringing back a wanted man should fix that right up!"

Kabnet stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. Vegeta was smart. _Extremely_ smart. He was backed into a corner; Vegeta was right – if Peconne died, he would have to search through the universe to find another scientist in his place. Men as brilliant as Peconne only came once in a blue moon, so it was surely going to be an arduous task. But the alternative…that was the absolute last thing Kabnet wanted. He had to compromise: a major setback, or his life?

Realizing how dire things had gotten, Kabnet pulled out a device from his pocket and pressed a button…

* * *

><p>When Arepa led Gohan away from the execution chamber, she killed whatever soldier came into her way. She wasn't anywhere near the most powerful soldier in Kabnet's army, however, so she instead stealthily snuck through the building when she arrived near the usual hangouts of the elites. Gohan did his best to keep up with the wild-spirited girl's frantic pace and espionage.<p>

Arepa busted a door open, much to the surprise of a soldier sitting on a brown stool in the corner of the room she and Gohan entered into. The two children stopped dead in their tracks and looked at the soldier with apprehension. Even in his seated position, he looked very large and intimidating, his burly arms the size of an average child. The soldier returned their gaze and looked specifically at Gohan. The tail, the armor…he was…

"One of Frieza's men!"

Gohan crouched into a defensive position and the soldier jumped up from his stool, ready to fight. He pulled out a gun from his pocket and pointed it directly at Gohan. Gohan was prepared to dodge an attack, when Arepa jumped in front of him. Gohan and the soldier looked at her with surprise.

"Oh no you don't! You're gonna have to go through _me_ first!" she shouted, her voice booming with challenge.

The soldier glared at Arepa. "You traitorous runt! Get out of my way, _now!_"

"Make me!" she retorted.

Not wanting to see the girl for a second longer, the soldier pulled the trigger. Arepa took the shot dead-on to keep Gohan from getting hurt; the blast hit her right in the shoulder. Arepa let out an anguished shriek and sank to her knees on the ground, favoring her left shoulder. Gohan ran up to her and gently placed his hands on her, looking on at her wound with dismay.

The soldier smirked maniacally and fixed his gaze to Gohan. "And now for you, kid…"

"D-don't worry about me, kid…" Arepa whispered weakly. Gohan nodded and looked back at the soldier, giving him a furious glare. His dark eyes were shining with anger, enough to make the soldier take a defensive step back.

"You'll pay for that!" Gohan shouted.

Barely a second later, Gohan leapt up at the soldier and rocked him with a vicious punch right to his jaw. The half-Saiyan was satisfied when he felt the man's bones cracking against his knuckles. The force of Gohan's punch sent the soldier flying backwards into the wall on the other end of the room, which he crashed against with a loud thud.

"Holy shit," Arepa muttered, her pain giving way to awe as she watched the soldier who was now sitting unnaturally against the wall. Though she hadn't seen _that_ much in her 6 short years of life, she knew a corpse when she saw one. And that was from _one single punch._

Gohan could tell that the man was dead. Seeing the empty gaze of the soldier gave Gohan eerie memories of the corpses he had to clean up on Planet Kithra. Those blank eyes, the slumped head…everything. As he watched the methodic descent of blood flowing from the soldier's mouth, all Gohan could do was stay fixated in the stance he had taken when he jumped back down from his attack. There was yet another corpse to add to the tally of dead bodies Gohan had seen in his servitude under Frieza, except this one was his own doing. Yes, the survival of the fittest was ruthless. The strong came out on top…but the weaklings were weeded out.

It was a tough job, but _somebody_ had to do it.

"Uh, Gohan, I'm kinda hurt here!" Arepa irritably yelled, snapping Gohan out of his trance.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Gohan sheepishly replied turning around to where Arepa was still laying. With his eyes locked on the bleeding wound on her shoulder, Gohan effortlessly lifted her up and slung her arm around his neck to help her up. "Is there any medical room or something close by?"

"Fuck if I know," Arepa roughly replied. "Who cares, just use that bastard's shirt or somethin' and wrap it around my arm."

Gohan shook his head, in disbelief over Arepa's crudeness. "If you say so…" Gohan let go of Arepa and walked over to the corpse of the soldier. He nonchalantly ripped off a piece of his shirt and then walked back up to Arepa. He stretched the piece of fabric out and then gingerly wrapped it around Arepa's wound, tying it into a knot. Arepa pressed down on her shoulder to offset any more blood loss.

Arepa began punching at the air, trying to get the feeling back into her arm. Gohan could only look on in astonishment at her impudence and toughness. "Shouldn't you give your arm time to rest?"

Arepa snorted in disgust as she continued her punches at a faster pace. "Please. I may not be as strong as you, 'cause I could never take that guy out with one punch, but I'm still pretty fuckin' tough! A stupid arm injury won't keep me down!"

"If you say so," Gohan said with a shrug. He looked across the room at the closed door. "So, what's that door lead to?"

Arepa threw one last punch before taking a good look at the door. She raised her hand to her chin and frowned in thought. "Hmm…if I remember this place right…that's the armory, or somethin' like that. Let's check," she said, walking past Gohan and kicking the door down. The room from behind it was a very large hall, and on each side of it were shelves filled with all sorts of items – guns, helmets, parts of ships and planes, and various other weaponry.

"Yup, that's the place!" Arepa said. She ran into the room and began looking around, and Gohan followed her. The various weapons intrigued him; sure, Kabnet's army was really a lost cause at best, but he couldn't deny that he had definitely put a ton of preparation into it. It looked a lot like the armories he read about in his history books, but far more advanced. As he watched Arepa dig through the shelves, curiosity got the best of him.

"So, how'd you end up here, anyway?" Gohan inquired.

Arepa jumped down from the top aisle she had just climbed up and dusted her clothes off. "Well, if you really wanna know, whatever. It happened about…_one _year ago, I think?" she began, wincing as she tried to recall the experience. "Well anyway, my pops liked to travel around different planets – that's how he said he knew a Saiyan – and once I grew outta crawlin' he took me around, too. So one day we went to this really cool planet that had all sorts o' gadgets that my pops liked.

"Only problem was, Kabent was in the middle of takin' it over. My pops managed to keep us hidden most of the time but then some soldier attacked us. Wound up breakin' my favorite action figure, too," Arepa explained. "I was reeaaaaally pissed about it, too."

"So what did you do?"

"I killed him, duh," Arepa replied like he didn't know that one plus one equaled two. "He beat up my dad pretty bad, but I beat the shit outta him. The problem was, Kabnet saw it happen and figured I was too good to pass up." Arepa's normally peppy expression suddenly became very cold, her eyes brimming with the flames of a fierce rage. "The son of a bitch ordered me to join him. My pops definitely wasn't havin' that…so Kabnet killed him."

Gohan looked at her very solemnly, feeling a bit of sympathy for her. It definitely sounded similar to what happened to him, minus the _killing_ part.

"Well, anyways, ever since then I've just been hangin' around here, I guess. Kabnet likes to lay low so I just go around beatin' some of the weaker guys up to have fun," Arepa said, her enthusiasm returning. "So, what's the story with you?"

"Pretty similar to yours, actually, except the guy who kidnapped me just hurt my dad really badly instead of killing him. But to be honest, I actually like being around him and his partners, especially considering _Frieza's_ our boss. They treat me with respect, at least," Gohan explained.

Arepa roughly slapped him on the shoulder. "You're pretty cool, Gohan!"

For the first time since he had begun working under Frieza, Gohan cracked a small smile. Arepa turned her attention back to the weapons.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go look for one _really_ good weapon. Trust me, it's a doozy," Arepa said as she jumped up to another high shelf. "I've only heard about it, though. Kabnet only lets really special people that he trusts in here 'cause of the weapon, so I've never seen it."

That definitely caught Gohan's interest. Kabnet had definitely invested in a lot of interesting technology, so for him to have some hidden weapon in here meant it must have been extremely powerful. Arepa tossed a bunch of the other gadgets on the floor as she shuffled through the shelves. She finally came across a dark green box that had an image of a skull and crossbones engraved on it. She cracked the lock open and opened it up.

"Yup, here it is," Arepa said as she jumped down in front of Gohan, putting the contents of the box on display.

Gohan looked down at the box with curiosity. In it was a grenade. "Whoa…cool."

"You can say that again," Arepa replied. "This bomb has a _shitload_ of power in it. Kabnet plans on usin' it on Frieza if he ever finds him. It prolly can't kill Frieza, but it's gotta be at least strong enough to kill _him_."

Gohan _definitely_ liked the sound of that. His eyes lit up with anticipation as he continued staring at the bomb.

"All we gotta do is catch that motherfucker off guard and BAM, he's done!" Arepa determined.

Gohan nodded enthusiastically. This was definitely his ticket to victory.

* * *

><p>When Kabnet pressed the button on the device he had pulled from his pocket, he tossed it to the ground. The item began shaking at an erratic pace, eventually to the point where it was causing mild vibrations in the planet's surface. The contents of the black, rectangular shaped item began expanding into something, appearing to open up and shoot hundreds of shiny, metal wires.<p>

Vegeta looked on with curiosity, never letting go of Peconne. More wires spawned from the box, and were now gradually shaping into an object. Peconne darkly laughed at the sight going on below him.

"You're dead, Saiyan!" he snickered.

Vegeta roughly hauled Peconne up to his eye level. "What the hell are you talking about? Answer me!" he demanded, looking at Peconne with an impatient glare.

Peconne merely continued his incessant laughter. "See for yourself."

Vegeta turned back to the wiring, which had now formed into an enormous, metallic figure, complete with arms and legs. It had on what appeared to be a blue and black set of armor, and a similarly colored helmet. It was at least 100 feet in height, bigger than even a Great Ape. Vegeta was so captured by fear and awe he nearly dropped Peconne. Raditz and Nappa jumped out from the window and shared Vegeta's astonishment.

"What the hell is that thing?" Raditz shouted, yelling so loud he nearly lost his voice.

A platform spawned from the giant cyborg and lowered to Kabnet's level. The would-be emperor stepped onto it and it began levitating to the top of the mechanical monster. Kabnet was laughing the whole way up. A compartment in the giant mech's head opened up, which the platform floated into.

"I could retrieve Peconne so easily now!" Kabnet boasted, his voice booming from the speakers attached to the mech's mouth. "Either hand him over or die!"

Vegeta cursed his luck. Just when he thought he had the tables turned, _this_ happened. He had no hope trying to combat this thing. His energy wasn't even close to being fully replenished, and he doubted even the Great Ape could topple him. He needed a plan, and _fast_. He was _not_ going to die here; he had spent 25 long years working under Frieza, increasing his strength little by little so he could one day destroy the tyrant and take his rightful claim to the universe. He was not going to let his life be a waste. He wouldn't die here.

He _couldn't_ die.

Thinking on his feet, Vegeta decided to lay it all on the line. "FINE! IF THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY IT, ATTACK ME!"

Nappa and Raditz both felt their hearts sink. Had Vegeta lost his mind at last? Raditz wasn't going to let Vegeta's madness get him killed. "Vegeta, are you s-"

"SHUT UP!" Vegeta snarled, fixing Raditz with a glare that accurately depicted his lunatic state of mind.

"Well, are you going to do it or not?" Vegeta yelled, with a challenging grin that lacked even a trace of sanity. "I'll end this bastard's life in the instant you try to grab him!"

"I'm not so dumb as to attack you while you're still holding him!" Kabnet shouted.

Vegeta's grin widened. "I can fix that quite easily!"

In a flash, Vegeta tossed Peconne straight at the massive mech. Kabnet looked on with a mixture of anger and anguish as his brilliant scientist came flying at him with great speed. At an even faster rate, Vegeta flew at the mech, his hands glowing with bright, blue Ki. He fired a barrage of blasts at it, which aimed to hit it dead-on.

Now enraged, Kabnet pulled the lever to his right, which controlled the mech's right arm. The humongous figure's giant hand opened, and fired a massive blast aimed right at Vegeta. However, the maniacal Saiyan prince's smirk didn't even falter, even as the blast drew in closer. Peconne looked on in horror as his descent continued.

Kabnet smirked in satisfaction when the blast hit, which triggered a horrific flash of light. Kabnet shielded his eyes from the sight, although he didn't lose the victorious grin on his face. As the light faded, Kabnet opened his eyes to see a massive cloud of smoke in front of him.

"Excellent! Vegeta is no more! Now, to get to his comrades!" Kabnet triumphantly shouted.

However, his worst fears came to fruition when he looked down to the ground. Vegeta was there, standing, as if he never got hit. Next to him were his two comrades. He had his arm raised, and looked to be slowly forming from a bright ball of light. Kabnet's heart skipped a beat when he realized what that ball denoted – the Giant Ape form! From what he had known, only Saiyan elites could form something like that – Vegeta's power level would likely exceed even his in that form! Kabnet frantically dug into the compartment of his jacket and found a blue device, one that loosely resembled a scouter.

"Parmesia, do you hear me? You must prevent the Saiyans' transformation!"

Vegeta could see the ball before him growing in size. Even though this was the best turn of events possible, he was furious at the moment – it should have taken mere seconds for him to form the damned power ball! But it was exceedingly difficult for him to gather up the necessary energy to mix with the planet's atmosphere, making the process much slower than it should have been. Raditz and Nappa looked on, silently willing Vegeta to pump out more energy.

Finally, it finished. Vegeta smirked – this was his chance! Even though he would be at a power disadvantage, he severely doubted Kabnet's mech could withstand three giant apes. All he had to do was shoot to the ball into the sky, and-

He was suddenly stricken by a sharp pain that hit his lower back. The agonizing stings caused Vegeta to relinquish the ball entirely and sink to his knees, throbbing in pain. Letting out several violent coughs, Vegeta rolled over on his back to see who or what dealt him such a blow. When the prince saw what was lying down on the ground not a few inches away from him, he lost his ability to even form words in his mouth.

_My…my tail!_

There it was, right in front of him. His tail had been cut off from behind him, a sneak attack done by the smirking warrior standing in front of him, armed with a sword in hand. When Vegeta made eye contact with the ballsy warrior, an insurmountable rage began to build within him. _Never_ in his entire life had somebody had the gall to remove his tail. The shame he was just dealt with swept away whatever control over himself the Prince had. Letting out a scream that could only be harnessed by the wildest beasts across the universe, Vegeta shot up to his feet. The warrior raised his sword, but Vegeta swatted it out of his grip with ease. Vegeta tackled the warrior and wrapped his hands so tightly around his throat, the fabric in his gloves began to tear. The blood the warrior was spitting on Vegeta's face didn't even deter him.

However, hundreds of other warriors came storming towards the three Saiyans. Now back into the rational world, Vegeta removed the warrior's neck from his grip and stood back up. However, he ruthlessly slammed his foot onto the throat of the man, killing him instantly.

"Dammit, what are we gonna do now?" Raditz grumbled. He and Nappa's tails had also been cut off.

"We will have to fight…" Vegeta resolved, his voice carrying a grimness his subordinates weren't accustomed to hearing from him. He cursed how this had all turned out. How had he been so careless as to allow his tail to be cut off? Was he really _this_ helpless without his scouter? To make matters worse, forming the power ball had caused his already significantly weaker power level to drop even further. He was just going to have to fight tooth and nail and take out as many warriors as he could.

Kabnet couldn't help but laugh. He was angry, as he was sure the blast he fired had vaporized Peconne, but that didn't change the fact that the Saiyans were thoroughly screwed. He didn't even need his mech anymore – his army could take the Saiyans out with ease. The Ki absorbing shackles were truly a brilliant invention – even when it was removed, the victim's Ki wouldn't completely resurface for another 12 hours.

Vegeta let out a loud roar and he, Nappa, and Raditz charged the sea of soldiers head-on. They began going to work on the fighters, firing energy blast after energy blast to halt their assault. The weakest ones were overtaken easy, piling up into mounds of dead corpses, but the strongest would arise from the blasts. One particular fighter had hit Vegeta with an absolutely debilitating blow to his ribs that left him groveling in pain on one knee, clutching his stomach. The man tried to follow his assault up, but Nappa had thankfully been there to blast him away. The Saiyan warriors continued chugging along as best as they could, but the severe mismatch in numbers was starting to overtake them. Vegeta tried to summon up another blast to blow another large group of fighters away, but his injuries made gathering up the necessary energy much more difficult. He finally fired, but it was pathetically weak by his standards – most of the warriors were still standing.

Vegeta dove at the group, opting for head-to-head combat. The men swarmed around the Prince. Putting his hand-to-hand skills up to task, Vegeta elbowed the warrior closest to his left in the ribs and kicked the one on his right several feet away. However, he was ill-prepared for the two fighters directly across who were closing in on him. One of them slammed his fists on Vegeta's head and then fired a shockwave formed from his energy to send him flying back. As the man flew at Vegeta at a fast pace, Vegeta gathered his energy and fired a blast directly at his face to keep him at bay. The warrior fell to the floor, and then Vegeta punched the other fighter in the face.

However, a wayward energy blast hit Vegeta's back and sent him down to the ground. He tried to get up, but another man kicked him in the ribs, causing him to roll several feet back. Quickly regaining control of himself, Vegeta raised both of his hands while still on the floor and fired more energy blasts at all sides. The Saiyan warrior stood back up, but it was a much more difficult effort than before. He barely had enough time to dodge the punch coming his way and snap the arm of the warrior who sent it.

Vegeta snuck a glance at Nappa and Raditz who were both having a tough time. Nappa's size ensured he was able to barrel through a lot of the fighters, but their swarms were efficient in subduing him. Raditz in particular was taking a hefty beatdown. A sudden kick to the face snapped Vegeta back to reality. The Prince managed to plant his feet firmly on the ground to remain standing, but another warrior fired a blast that hit him straight in the face.

Vegeta fell to the ground in a heap of pain, his face badly burned by the heat of the blast. As he feverishly clutched at his eyes, Vegeta hissed in complete exasperation. Vegeta could probably count on his hands how many times he had been absolutely sure his death was near, and this situation likely ranked the highest of them. This had to have been a nightmare; he was going to wake up in a sweaty heap on his cot any second now, right?

* * *

><p>Gohan and Arepa continued running through the various halls of the large building they were in. They could overhear the explosions going on outside; no doubt, there was an intense battle going on out there. Gohan wanted to burst out there and help his comrades, but Arepa insisted that the best way to go about this was to be sneaky. They were quickly going to the upper level of the tower they were in, so they could toss the bomb at Kabnet and finish him once and for all.<p>

The pair reached another floor when they decided to finally leave the building. Arepa led the way to an empty room and smashed the window to pieces. When she and Gohan saw what was going on outside, they almost froze. It was practically a war out there; _hundreds_ of warriors, all swarming around something. Gohan leaned in closer, squinting so he could get a better view of the action. He felt a shortness of breath when he saw the three warriors who were on the receiving end of a ruthless beating.

"Oh no! Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz!" Gohan exclaimed. "We've gotta act soon!" Gohan turned to look at Arepa who was still staring blankly at the carnage. Shaking his head in agitation, Gohan looked in her line of sight and almost had the same reaction as her when he saw the giant mech being commandeered.

"What the heck is that thing?" Gohan yelled.

"Oooooh boy, looks like Kabnet brought out the big guns," Arepa finally remarked, her voice missing its usual flare. A wave of thoughts flooded into her head as she tried to come up with a way to make sure the bomb hit the mech and destroyed Kabnet; she would only get one shot at this.

Arepa turned to Gohan. "Here, take the bomb!" she ordered, forcefully shoving it into his hand. "I'm gonna distract Kabnet; jump to the top of this building and leap off of it 'till you're behind him and throw the bomb at him! Just pull the little lever thingy at the top and chug the son of a bitch!"

Gohan hesitantly nodded. "O-okay…I think I can do this."

"You better, or I'll beat the shit out of you when this is done," she threatened, though her voice was playful in tone.

Gohan lightly giggled before awkwardly stepping over the broken glass. Standing at the edge of the windowsill, Gohan took a deep breath and leapt up to the roof. Once there, he ran as fast as he possibly could to the other side and patiently waited for whatever Arepa was going to do. Gohan could see a cliff not too far off in the distance. He crouched down for leverage and then leapt across the air to the rocky structure, which stood behind the large mech Kabnet was in.

Arepa jumped out of the window and flew over to where Kabnet's mech was, now hovering less than 30 feet away from his line of sight. "Hey, Kabnet, bet you didn't think you'd see me here, huh?" she yelled.

Kabnet turned his eyes away from the action and looked straight ahead at the girl floating across from him. _Arepa_. What a belligerent little firecracker; she always irritated him, but her potential for growth was why he kept her around. What the hell was she doing out here now?

"Arepa, I didn't call for you; leave, now!" Kabnet commanded, his voice ringing loud and clear from the immense speakers.

Arepa instead haughtily smirked and flung a booger at him. "Nuh uh, sorry! I just came out here to tell you that you suck, and I quit!"

Kabnet wrapped his fingers tightly around the control sticks he was gripping, his temper quickly growing. "Why, you bratty little shit, how dare you!"

"Yeah, I said it; I don't want shit to do with you anymore!" she yelled, her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Fine; just know that you have signed off your death warrant!" Kabnet yelled. To punctuate his threat, he raised the arm of his mech.

Undeterred by Kabnet's threat, Arepa instead raised her middle finger at him, a shit-eating grin ever present on her face.

_That_ was it. Kabnet was angered beyond belief at being belittled by such a bratty girl. He was going to give her the worst blast possible to put her in her place. He began pressing the proper button sequence to launch the powerful blast.

Arepa's last gesture was practically Gohan's cue. Pulling the switch at the top of the deadly grenade in his hand, Gohan leapt off the cliff, heading straight towards the massive metallic structure.

"Here goes nothing!"

Gohan threw the grenade. He anxiously crossed his fingers, hoping for the best…

It hit the target right-on.

In his preparation for the attack on Arepa, Kabnet didn't even know that a grenade was flying right towards him. It hit the mech and triggered a massive explosion of light and smoke. Gohan covered his eyes, as he would have been blinded by the bright flash of light.

Vegeta had no clue what had just occurred. The sudden explosion had sent him and many of the warriors he was battling flying far away. What was going on? _Did that giant mech self- destruct or something?_ Vegeta hit the ground hard and shielded his eyes from the excruciatingly bright light.

When the light faded, the smoke settled, and the commotion had died down, everyone in the area had their eyes set on the shocking sight in front of them. The mecha – utterly destroyed. The only thing that was left of it was scraps of metal.

And Kabnet was nowhere to be found.

The only person that was in the general area of the scrapheap was a long-haired, armor-clad boy, whose tail was waving frantically from side-to-side. Son Gohan remained floating in the air, his blank expression giving way to one of joy and victory.

"I DID IT!"

Vegeta couldn't even conceal the look of shock on his face. "G-Gohan…?" He was alive? How had the brat escaped from his execution? And more importantly…did he just _destroy Kabnet?_

How the fuck was a kid so powerful and resourceful related to Raditz?

The sea of soldiers was stuck in a stunned silence. Did they really just see, with their own two eyes, Kabnet and his mech destroyed by a bomb thrown by a Saiyan child? Where did he even come from? How had he acquired such a weapon?

"Gohan, you son of a bitch! I knew you had it in ya!" yelled Arepa.

Gohan, however, was no longer concerned over what he had just done. It didn't take a genius to tell that Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were having severe trouble battling the large army down below. He was going to have to take matters into his own hands now.

Gohan began building up his Ki as a bright, blue aura flared up around him. He pulled his arms back and concentrated his Ki, focusing it to his hands. Then, he fired a massive wave of Ki at the swarm of soldiers, strategically aiming it away from Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. The blast blew away a good number of men, either vaporizing them or crippling them to uselessness.

Wasting no time in continuing his onslaught, Gohan quickly flew down lower and fired numerous Ki blasts at the soldiers, hitting them all with deadly accuracy. Hundreds of soldiers began flying at Gohan in the air, but the powerful half-breed took to making quick work of them, either with blasts or his own two hands. His full power was far too much for the fighters to handle.

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz, who were all exhausted and lying on the ground, could only look on with wide-eyes, in awe of the cold efficiency the normally calm, timid, and pacifistic half-Saiyan child was displaying in killing Kabnet's men. They could see him becoming more of a warrior before their very eyes.

Vegeta couldn't help but smirk in approval.

As the hundreds were reduced to dozens, Gohan decided it was time to finish the assault. He was going to do it with an attack he had always wanted to do; had it not been for that day his mother interrupted his dad's attempt at training him, he would have done it a long time ago. Gohan cupped his hands together and pulled his arms back as he began gathering his Ki.

"KA…ME…"

His hands were now engulfed in a bright, intense glow, as the Saiyans and Arepa looked on in curiosity at the odd chants. Vegeta raised an eyebrow – the stance was identical to that of his Gallic Gun.

"HA…ME…"

The glow around Gohan's hands had grown in size, burning in them. The planet began shaking as a result of the power Gohan was summoning.

"**HAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

Gohan fired the deadly bright, blue Ki wave, destroying the remaining few soldiers in one fell swoop. Vegeta was at a loss for words; if only he had a scouter with him so he could get a good gauge on how powerful Gohan had become. He had just taken out an army that he, Nappa, and Raditz had no chance against. Granted, they were severely weakened, but that didn't lessen his achievement at all.

"V-Vegeta…how strong _is_ this little bastard?" Nappa pressed,

"The last time I checked his power level was on Planet Tajine…it was at 4,250," Vegeta answered.

"WHAT?" Nappa and Raditz both shouted.

"That…that had to have been a mistake…you mean he's stronger than _me_ now?" Nappa exclaimed, hardly believing the number he heard.

"Well you saw what the boy just did with your own two eyes, moron!" Vegeta harshly replied. "He's definitely at that level. Besides, he's not _significantly_ stronger than you, anyway," Vegeta assured.

Gohan took a deep breath and wiped off his forehead. He deduced that the blast was just as strong as he had always thought it'd be. Descending to the battlefield, Gohan looked at his three elders with concern. "Are you guys alright…?"

"Does it look like it?" Vegeta sneered, looking at the boy like he was a moron.

"S-sorry," Gohan sheepishly replied.

"Tell me, kid – how the hell did you escape from the execution chamber? We were sure you were a goner," Raditz inquired.

Gohan turned to his right, looking up at Arepa, who was still floating in the air. "She broke me out of it."

As if on cue, Arepa floated down to where the Saiyans were talking. "Yup, he has me to thank!" she chirped.

"Hn. Figures it'd be another brat," Vegeta scoffed.

Arepa looked at Vegeta with an irritated scowl. "Hey, I'll have you know I'm pretty strong! As a matter of fact, I want to join you guys!"

The four Saiyans looked at Arepa with complete confusion. Nappa broke into obnoxsious laughter. "Oh, this kid's a good one!" The bald Saiyan's laughter died down a little bit. "Save it, kid."

Arepa gave the Saiyans a mischievous grin. "Well, damn, I guess you guys don't want me in your group." She breathed an exaggerating sigh. "And I was gonna show you all a spaceship and everything…"

The Saiyans were now very interested in her proposition. A spaceship? They were finally going to escape this miserable planet! Vegeta stood back up, nearly stumbling right back down as he was shocked by how apparent his injuries had become. He looked at the determined looking girl across from him intently. "What's your name, brat?"

"Arepa!"

Vegeta nodded. "Now, where is this spaceship you speak of? You _better_ not be lying to me, little female, or else your life will end here," Vegeta threatened. The cold, intense look in his eyes showed he was more than willing to carry out the threat even in his weakened state.

"Whoa, easy, shorty, easy-"

A vein in Vegeta's temple bulged to inconceivable levels. _Nobody_ mocked him for his height. Vegeta took a threatening step forward, his eyes intent on murder. "Why, you little brat-!"

Gohan jumped right in between the two. "Easy, Vegeta, easy!" he said soothingly, raising his hands up in attempt to restrain him. Arepa couldn't even hold back her snickers at Vegeta's temper.

Vegeta irritably hissed and folded his arms over his chest. "If you plan on joining us, you better learn to watch your tongue, little girl. I will_ not_ tolerate disrespect from a sniveling brat like you."

"Alright, alright, fine! Sorry, jeez!" Arepa complained.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. This bullshit was exactly why he avoided having kids at all costs. "Now, then…how do I know you're not attempting to trick me into a betrayal?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Arepa scoffed, offended by Vegeta's suspicion of her motives. "If I was tryin' to pull the lid on you, why would I have _broken Gohan outta the execution chamber_, and then gave him the big ass bomb that blew Kabnet up in the first place? Hmmmm?" Arepa huffed, folding her arms across her chest in the same manner as Vegeta.

Vegeta sighed. The brat had a point, however annoyingly it was presented. Judging from her shrillness and immaturity, she was probably too dense to even come up with some insidious scheme anyway. Part of him wanted to think that she was pulling a façade, but then again, not even _he_ did the sweet & innocent act as a child, and facades were his forte! He looked into her eyes studiously, trying to look for any sign of a lie. Finally, he relented, "Fine. You can join us. But don't go bitching when you find that life under Frieza isn't a picnic."

Raditz slowly stood up to his feet, in disbelief over Vegeta's decision. "Vegeta, what the hell are you doing? Are you really going to trust some br-"

Raditz couldn't even complete his statement before he was met with a backhand punch that sent him flying into a nearby rock, courtesy of Vegeta. His weight crushed the rock into tiny pieces when he violently slammed into it. Vegeta turned around, fixing his subordinate with a stern, threatening glare.

"How many fucking times have I told you _not_ to question me, Raditz? Now shut the hell up and keep your comments to yourself, understand?" Vegeta harshly commanded. Raditz weakly nodded, clenching his bruised nose as he did so.

Vegeta turned his attention back to Arepa. "How strong are you, brat?" he asked as Raditz slowly limped back behind him.

"I prolly couldn't take Gohan or the big, bald motherfucker, but I _am_ strong!" Arepa insisted, looking at Vegeta with fiery determination.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Prove it, brat," he ordered, still not convinced.

Arepa smirked and cracked her knuckles a bit. Then, without warning, she zipped up to Raditz and kicked him squarely in the jaw, knocking him right back to the remains of the rock Vegeta had sent him flying into less than a minute ago.

Vegeta snickered at the sight of Raditz groveling on the ground, rubbing at his jaw. "Well, well, you have no qualms about beating up Raditz…good enough for me."

Nappa laughed as he arose to his feet, dusting off his battered armor. "So, what are we gonna do about the rest of these bastards?"

Vegeta shrugged. "They are of no concern. This army will collapse now that their leader is dead." Vegeta smirked at his oldest partner. "And as for our assignment, I'm sure we'll get a hefty reward for taking out a wanted man."

"Who knows, maybe Frieza'll finally upgrade our ranks!" Nappa suggested. "Meh, then again, I can't be too hopeful."

Raditz returned to the scene, still rubbing at his jaw, which had visible swelling around it. He scowled at Arepa, but she bit back with a nasty scowl of her own. Raditz cursed his luck; why did every fucking kid that came around him have to be ones capable of pushing him around?

"Alright, girl, show us where this spaceship is," Vegeta ordered.

"Cool; just follow me," Arepa directed before turning around and flying off. The Saiyans flew closely behind her. Though Gohan flew around easily, the eldest of the five were all flying at a remarkably slow rate, as they tried fighting through their various injuries.

Their flight halted when Arepa finally descended to one of the wings of the giant building the Saiyans had previously been captured in. Arepa busted the door open and walked right in to the roofless room. The Saiyans followed her lead and curiously looked at the enormous, blue, domed spaceship that was on display in front of them.

"Ah, the big one," Arepa marveled. She ran up to the ship and pressed a button on it, opening its entrance. A large, blue ramp slowly made its way out to the floor, stopping just short in front of Gohan. "Well, come on in!" Arepa directed before hopping on the ramp. The Saiyans nodded and followed her in.

The inside of the ship was just as impressive as the outside. It was very simple, but expansive. There were different types of mechanisms lying around, as well as several rooms. It was well equipped for a long trip in space. Arepa ran over to the control deck, and as she examined the various buttons, she realized one big problem-

She knew fuck all about flying a spaceship.

Luckily, Vegeta was closing in right behind her, examining the control deck just as she. He had learned over the years how to fly and operate numerous ships; the controls of this one didn't look too dissimilar to that of Frieza's flagship. Vegeta pressed one of the large buttons near the bottom of the control deck. An automated voice came on.

"_Landing coordinates?"_

Vegeta frowned in thought. He remembered he had a one week deadline to purge this planet; from his estimation, they hadn't spent more than a day at this planet, which still gave him plenty of time before having to return to Planet Frieza No. 79, Home Base. Remembering the coordinates of another one of Frieza's planets, Vegeta answered, "638AP."

"_Coordinates set."_

Vegeta pressed the red button below the other one, triggering the familiar sound of an engine rumbling. Arepa stumbled around a bit, while Vegeta remained still.

"_Launching in 5…4…3…2…1"_

The ship blasted off into the sky. As soon as he was sure they were off ground, Vegeta went to one of the rooms and sat down on the bed standing in the corner of the room. A wave of exhaustion hit him; this was the toughest battle he had in a long time. He could barely feel his arms and his legs were extremely numb. However, he knew one thing was for sure; he was lucky to have Gohan on his side. The kid had finally proved he was willing to do the dirty jobs when necessary. The Saiyan Prince fell back and sprawled out on the bed, finally succumbing to sleep.

Gohan looked out of the window, watching the surface of the planet become smaller and smaller, until soon, it was nothing but a sphere in the middle of the vast, dark emptiness of space. Gohan breathed a sigh of relief; good riddance to that miserable planet. Arepa walked up to him and slapped him on the shoulder. Gohan remembered something he'd been meaning to ask her.

"Why'd you decide to come along with us? Frieza's probably even worse than Kabnet," Gohan asked curiously.

Arepa gave Gohan a dismissive wave. "Yeah, and…? It's not like I've got anything personally against the bastard. Yeah, yeah, he's evil as shit…so? Do you know how strong I'll get workin' for that guy?"

Gohan had to admit; this girl was nothing if not tenacious. She had no idea how terrible of a man Frieza was, and yet she was practically inviting the pain. She was either brave or incredibly stupid; probably both.

A few hours later, the crew of now five arrived at the planet, Planet Frieza No. 87, to be exact. Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta rushed to the nearest rejuvenation chambers while Arepa changed into a set of armor. The color she chose was similar in color to Nappa's. She wore dark tights like Gohan.

After Vegeta and the others were fully healed and in fresh sets of their usual armor, they left the planet. Vegeta input the ship with instructions of a planet that was a good distance from Frieza No. 87. They arrived there within a few hours and landed.

As Gohan stepped out of the ship, he looked on at the planet with great curiosity. It was certainly livelier and more inviting than Frieza's planets. The sky was a bright green color, with red clouds, and the temperature was actually manageable. Across from him was a large, wooden building.

"Where are we?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta smirked. "Planet Mandria; we stop by here all the time if we need to cool off after a mission. This place has the finest bar in the entire universe."

Gohan groaned. A bar? He had faintly recalled Chi-Chi rambling on about one of those places before. They actually had them in _space_, too? Gohan followed his comrades into the building, where they were welcomed with the boisterous roars of hundreds of drunken, cheerful aliens.

"'Ey, Vegeta!"

"Nappa, you bald son of a bitch, you haven't been here in ages!"

Gohan shifted nervously as he followed the snickering Saiyans' trail through the bar. He had never been in a place so…rowdy. He glanced at Arepa, who looked right at home in a place like this. There were men, clearly inebriated, of different sizes and colors, jumping around on tables, screaming and laughing loudly. He also spotted female aliens, surrounded by mobs of drooling men. He was so fascinated by all of the sights he hadn't even realized Vegeta had been standing right across from him, a large mug in hand.

"What's this for?" Gohan asked, eyeing the mug.

"It's a mug of beer. Drink it," Vegeta answered.

Gohan's cheeks went red as he examined the mug of alcohol. He had read enough in his health books to know that he had no business drinking _that_ stuff.

"Vegeta, I'm _four!_" he yelled in exasperation.

All Vegeta did was laugh. "So what? You're a Saiyan, though your blood is tainted by the humans' as well. Here, take it brat."

Gohan nervously nodded and took the mug in both hands, examining the fizzy, bubbling liquid contained in it. He took a whiff of the substance, and cringed upon picking up the smell. It was so _strong_…he felt light-headed just smelling the thing! Gohan could tell he was embarrassing himself in front of Vegeta, though. Taking a deep breath, Gohan brought the mug to his lips and took a sip. He felt like his entire throat was being set on fire. How could these guys drink this crap? He snuck a glance at Arepa, who was already downing a mug! What the heck made this stuff so special?

Seeing Gohan's grimace made the Saiyans burst out into obnoxious, slightly inebriated laughter. Gohan's cheeks became even redder, yet he felt a strange, comforting feeling. In the past day, he had truly proven his worth – it almost seemed like going here made him officially part of their crew.

He had become a true Saiyan warrior.


	9. Beneath The Surface

Droves of aliens with green, scaly skin had gathered around, coming together on the surface of their dark, cold planet. Over the past three days, there had been stories about an invader who had landed on the planet and taken to systematically exterminating its inhabitants. From the tales delivered by the horror-struck survivors, it was one single boy, described as being a one man wrecking crew. The strongest fighters had joined together, confident that their collective power could destroy this new threat. All they had to do was wait for him to strike.

Suddenly, a large explosion went off in the distance. The force of it caused the entire planet to shake. The group of warriors turned around, all having their own looks of anxiety when they saw the massive clouds of smoke painting the dark night sky. The invader was close; it was time. A figure closed in on them from the sky. As he flew in closer, the warriors could see him more clearly. It was a boy, with long, shaggy hair. He looked like he was just about to begin puberty, his facial features rough but still containing traces of the delicacy of a child. He was wearing a black body suit and armor, with green shoulder pads. Completing his appearance was an odd, furry, brown appendage securely wrapped around his waist.

The blue device the boy had been wearing over his left eye went off, the yellow numbers at the bottom running. The boy's lips curled back in disgust over the reading he had received. _Pfft. None of these guys are even higher than 2500._

Methodically, the boy descended to the ground, his cold, empty eyes practically inviting the aliens to swarm him. The fighters exchanged apprehensive glances with each other. It was strange; they were sure if they swarmed the kid, they could overtake him easily. And yet, there was something about him. His mere presence exuded danger. He should have been shaking in his boots at how outnumbered he was, but he instead stood calm and collected. His dark eyes loomed over the crew, surveying the looks of poorly-hidden fear.

Not wanting to continue the stand-off a second longer, the aliens attacked. They all flew at the boy, who didn't even attempt to move out of the way. Instead keeping the nonchalant look on his face, the boy squared his shoulders, prepared for battle. He released a large shockwave created by his own fierce Ki; the force was enough to blow all of the warriors back by several feet. With staggering speed, the young warrior flew at the aliens and began his attack.

The first thing he did was fire a large wave of Ki, which killed three of the aliens on the spot. The fighters stopped dead in their tracks, all horrified by the power the kid displayed. All of the things they had heard were true; he was a fearsome force. The kid, not caring for the looks of fear etched across the fighters' faces, took to killing them all one by one. One brave, foolish fighter flew up to him, but the warrior dodged the punch the man thrust at him by merely craning his neck. The young fighter then ruthlessly slammed his elbow into the man's head, the mere force of it breaking his neck and killing him instantly. The boy was almost mechanical in his movements.

The eight fighters that remained flew at the fighter once more, undeterred by the brutal efficiency with which he killed their two comrades. The boy merely shrugged and stayed in place, almost waiting for them to strike. In one sudden motion, he swung his foot up, driving it through the stomach of the first fighter that dared attack him. Withdrawing his now blood-soaked foot from the dead fighter's body, the young warrior gathered an intense Ki to both of his palms and fired off a shower of tiny blasts at the warriors. They weren't enough to kill them, but they did damage them, at least. The boy resumed his assault from there.

If he was drawing any enjoyment from his actions, he wasn't showing it, instead carrying out the violent kills with a blank, stoic look in his eyes. This was just a job to him. One of the men phased out of sight and reappeared behind the boy, much to his surprise. He hooked his arms, smirking at his work. Now holding the boy in his grip, the warrior directed his partner to attack. Nodding in affirmation, the other man fired a lethal Ki blast at the boy. However, the initial shock that had been present on the boy's face returned to the cool, collected expression. In one fluid motion, the boy removed his arms from the man's grip and spun behind him, shoving him forward into the Ki blast, which incinerated him.

The man that had fired the blast could only stare at the boy, frozen in his spot in the sky. His eyes were filled with terror over this child; where did he come from? How was he so powerful? Offering no reaction to the man's look, the young fighter instead advanced towards him. He then blasted a hole through the fighter that had just jumped at him without even taking his eyes off of the man he had been floating to. Once he was merely inches away from the terrified man, he cut his head clean off with a mere swipe of the arm.

The four remaining warriors were trembling in fear as the armor-clad boy methodically floated towards them. He stopped and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for one of the men to make an ill-fated attempt at fighting him. The four aliens all shook their heads and decided to lay it all on the line, jumping at him in attempt to hit him with a swarm. The warrior merely jumped up and hit three of the men with fatal blows at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for a mortal being. The last fighter left sank to his knees, losing any will to fight. The young invader phased out of sight, reappearing behind him. He grabbed the warrior's head and brutally twisted it, snapping his neck.

Wiping off his forehead, the boy spat at the ground. "Takes care of them," he muttered absent-mindedly before taking a seat on the sandy surface. Those were the strongest people on the planet, and considering how boring they were, he should have _at least_ saved them for last.

It had been eight years since Son Gohan was first taken in by the Saiyans. Eight years since he set his goal of toppling Frieza and ending his reign over him. He had spent every moment of every day getting stronger, spitting in the face of the numerous efforts by his higher-ups to halt his progress. He endured whatever hardships came his way, long since outgrowing the anguish he felt over experiencing them, instead harboring nothing but numbness. He had learned the ways of being a ruthless warrior. Whatever words his conscience screamed out from the deep recesses of his mind about how wrong his actions were fell on deaf ears to the half-breed. They weren't important – all that mattered to him was strength.

This particular planet he was on was the last of a series of survival missions he was given by Frieza. He was to purge seven large planets of all of their populations within one month; today was only halfway into the second week of his deadline. Though his hatred for the lizard tyrant never faltered, he took on all of the jobs he presented to him with open arms.

The half-Saiyan sighed and took out a tiny, black device from beneath his armor. He pressed a button on it, causing it to expand into a large tablet with a computer screen. On it was a map of the planet, several locations having red X's on them. Those locations denoted the regions of the planet Gohan had successfully wiped out. He tapped his finger on an unmarked section of the map, which represented this part of the planet. A red X popped up over the area. There was only one unmarked spot left. Gohan pressed a button at the top of the tablet, returning it to its pocket-sized state.

Slowly rising to his feet, Gohan cracked his knuckles and craned his neck. He had a job to finish.

* * *

><p>Many hours later, Gohan's space pod landed on one of the large landing pads at Planet Frieza No. 116, the latest planet Frieza had taken on as his home base. Slowly steeping out of his pod, he was greeted by a frail, scaly alien.<p>

"Son Gohan? I wasn't expecting for you to return for another week and a half!" he said in astonishment.

"Well I'm obviously here now," Gohan flatly replied, walking past the old man and to the large, white building. The old man looked over his shoulder at Gohan, still shocked by how quickly he had returned. Beyond a few patches of dirt on his armor and a couple of bruises on his face, he looked fine. The 12 year old half-Saiyan's alarming growth in power was the talk of Frieza's army for years now.

Gohan walked down the halls of the building, stopping when he reached two large, metallic doors. The two guards standing in front of the large doors initially gave Gohan a startled look before opening them up, giving way to Frieza's throne room. It was set up the same as it had always been – Zarbon and Dodoria on opposite ends of the room, and in the middle was the icy tyrant himself, Frieza, sitting in his black floating chair. Gohan walked further into the room as the doors closed from behind him. The half-Saiyan got down on one knee.

Frieza merely stared at Gohan, his expression neutral. He gazed at the boy studiously, honestly surprised at how soon Gohan had returned. "My goodness…the last thing I expected to see today was _you_, reporting the results of your survival mission. You _did_ complete your mission, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza," Gohan mechanically replied, his voice subdued and controlled. Though it took a couple of more hellish punishments, Gohan had fully learned how to reign in his hatred for Frieza. "I have destroyed all seven planets, as instructed." Gohan grabbed the small, black device from his armor. "In the event that you suspect that I've ducked my mission or withdrew from it prematurely, I give you photographic proof."

Frieza instead laughed haughtily; his throaty chuckles never ceased to make Gohan's blood boil, though he never showed his anger outwardly. "My, my, you didn't have to go through such measures. You are a _powerful_ young lad, Son Gohan," Frieza replied, his voice low. Gohan could pick up the slightest hint of disgust in his tone. "I do not doubt that you have completed your mission sooner than expected."

Gohan nodded as Frieza continued. "Indeed, you have been doing a rather splendid job, Gohan, ever since I first took you in. I must applaud you," he said with a snide bit of amusement ringing through his voice.

Gohan felt no pride at Frieza's praises. It actually irritated him. Though Zarbon, Dodoria, and the other soldiers would harshly belittle his achievements, Frieza would instead openly praise him. However, he did it with an air of condescending proclivity, showing how little he thought of the boy as well. Frieza's feigned cordiality made Gohan's heart burn with animosity; he much preferred the direct disparagement from Frieza's subordinates rather than the mind games of the tyrant.

"Thank you, Lord Frieza," Gohan grumbled.

"Now then, you are dismissed. I will report your next mission with your Saiyan crew soon," Frieza directed.

Gohan nodded and arose to his feet, and then turned around and left the room. As he walked around the hallway, intent on going to the mess hall to get something to eat, he was met with a familiar voice coming from his left.

"Well, well, looks like _somebody's_ back a helluva lot sooner than expected."

Gohan turned his head to the side and smirked at the girl that was walking towards him. She had long, black hair, not unlike his or Raditz's. She had on blue armor with gold shoulder guards and tights that stopped just short of her knees. She was looking at Gohan with an amused smirk.

"Envious are we, Arepa?" Gohan snickered.

Arepa snorted and tugged at her wristbands. In the last eight years, she had fallen behind Gohan in strength – she didn't have the natural capacity for growth that he had. However, she had more than held her own in the army, rising in rank. She worked separately from the Saiyans, instead doing all of her assignments either by herself or with different members of the army. By mere virtue of not being a Saiyan like Gohan, Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa, she enjoyed the luxuries that a warrior was normally supposed to be granted with when their power level was in the realm of 10,000, which she never ceased to remind the half-breed of.

"Please, it wasn't _that_ big of a deal," Arepa said dismissively.

Gohan rolled his eyes. He and Arepa had developed a competition-based friendship. Though Gohan far exceeded whatever feats she would muster, she would always have some snide remark about his progress to make his feats sound less impressive. It annoyed Gohan, though not to the degree that the rest of Frieza's soldiers' insults did. She was the only person he had that resembled a friend, and he had to admit she had become quite pretty in the last eight years. But no matter; Vegeta had thoroughly taught him that all attachments were merely loose strings to be cut off at any time. If she became his enemy, he would kill her without hesitation.

Well, that's at least what he figured.

Gohan snorted. "If you say so…" he replied, brushing past her. Arepa looked over her shoulder at Gohan, her eyes filled with an envious fire. She had always slightly worked towards the goal of impressing Gohan, but he gave her as much snide, belittling remarks as she did him. However, unlike her paper-thin insults, Gohan's were actually _true_. The thought constantly frustrated Arepa.

After Gohan finished his awful food, he walked over to one of the training facilities, where three certain Saiyans were in the midst of training. Though Nappa looked a tad older nowadays, Vegeta and Raditz looked like they hadn't aged a day since Gohan first began working in the Cold Army. As Vegeta had explained, Saiyans aged much slower than other races, their bodies holding onto their prime shape for as long as possible. Their tails had also grown back since the war with Kabnet. The three put their spars to a halt when Gohan arrived.

"Back already, I see," Vegeta snickered. Though he wouldn't admit it, he had grown very proud of Gohan's progress. Not only had his strength grown at an extremely fast rate, but he had been molded into a cold, ruthless killing machine, as he had intended from day one. On countless occasions, the half-Saiyan had proven to be an invaluable part of their crew. He was no longer the sniveling, spoiled, whiny half-breed and instead one of them. By now, he had left even Nappa in the dust.

"Damn, it only took you a little over two weeks," Nappa remarked. "These survival missions are a piece of cake to you now, huh?"

Giving an indifferent shrug Gohan began stretching out his arms. "Either Frieza's oblivious to how strong I've gotten, or he's been giving me weaker missions on purpose," the half-Saiyan explained as he threw punches at the air. "Only one of those planets gave me a challenge!"

"I wouldn't doubt that he's been undercutting you," Raditz replied. "_We've_ only gotten one freaking mission since you've been gone."

Gohan rolled his eyes. _Typical_. Frieza kept coming up with ways to conveniently keep the Saiyans at bay. It was to no surprise that he used Gohan's absence as an excuse to not give the Saiyans any work.

"He said he's going to tell us our next assignment soon, but who knows _how_ soon the bastard means," Gohan said.

Vegeta hissed in irritation. In the past few years, his power level had risen to 27,000. However, that still wasn't enough. His impatience was starting to grow in that time; he wasn't going to be around here forever, and if his power kept growing at the rate it had been now, he would be a decrepit old man by the time he surpassed Frieza. There _had_ to be some way of growing his power faster. He was feverishly waiting for that one battle, one where he would be beaten so brutally that his power level would rise to insane levels when he recovered. Yet, Frieza only gave him planets he could handle; nothing that he could only conquer through nothing short of a miracle.

However, he _did_ learn new approaches to survival. The battles on Planet Raizen, as well as his fight with Stride on Trident made him realize a valuable lesson – strength wasn't everything. He would never allow a fiasco like what had happened to his tail occur again. Though it had taken much practice, he learned how to control his power level at will, and even fine-tuned his senses so he could feel energy levels on his own. He had outgrown the scouters, but he continued using them as a communication device and as a tool in the illusion that he _didn't_ know how to sense power levels without them. He didn't so much as utter a word about the technique, not even to Gohan, Nappa, and Raditz.

Vegeta grunted and turned his attention to Gohan. "Well then, I suppose now it's time for you to face an opponent who you'll _never_ beat," Vegeta said with a challenging smirk.

Gohan returned his smirk. "We'll see about that!" he replied evenly, crouching into a fighting stance. His spars with Vegeta had played a big part in his progression as well. He leapt forward…

* * *

><p>Frieza took a sip of his glass of wine as observed his planet from behind his window, comfortably sitting in his floating chair. He was deep in thought as his tail methodically swung behind him. Contrary to what the Saiyans were assuredly complaining about, the survival mission he had given to Gohan featured seven planets containing the strongest warriors across the solar system. Only the last one had been weak. Ever since the incident with Kabnet, he decided to be more thorough about his planetary checks, so he was sure that nothing unusual had happened to the planets so as Gohan wouldn't encounter anything that was contrary to what his reports told him.<p>

So then, how had he blown through the mission in little over half of the time he was allotted? The flustered galactic overlord raised a hand to his chin as he twirled his glass of wine in his other. Gohan's progression of power was nothing short of astounding.

And that was precisely what troubled Frieza.

"Zarbon, come forward," Frieza ordered.

His right-hand man did as asked, walking forward until he was a few feet behind his overlord. "What is it, sire?"

"What was the last report on Son Gohan's power level?" Frieza inquired, the pace of his tail's movement increasing ever so slightly.

"I believe it was 19,000, sir," Zarbon replied.

"_19,000?_" Frieza replied, almost being left aghast by such a power had it not been a mere pebble compared to his. However, the simple number wasn't the issue at hand. "Absolutely astonishing for someone his age."

"Yes, indeed," Zarbon replied. "We have been having more trouble finding him appropriate missions. His power is rising faster than any of us can keep up with."

Frieza hummed and took another sip of his wine. "Perhaps it is time I stopped giving him survival missions. The boy is clearly beyond that point."

There was silence between them for a good minute, until Zarbon awkwardly cleared his throat. "Is that all, Lord?"

"No, wait," Frieza said, falling into thought. That number wasn't comforting to Frieza at all. _19,000_ in a mere eight years? It had taken Vegeta _twenty-five _years to reach such a level, and yet the boy had done it in a third of the time. Gohan had a completely unfathomable growth threshold; that had been a problem with all of those Saiyans, but typically not to such a degree. The last time a Saiyan's power level had grown at such an alarming rate was with the low-class soldier Bardock, the man who challenged him on a certain fateful day. If he remembered correctly…he was Gohan's _grandfather_. That only served to further distress Frieza. Raditz notwithstanding, this had to have been a familial thing. If Gohan was allowed to continue working for Frieza, with his power climbing at the unpredictable rate it had thus far, could he possibly become…

_A Super Saiyan?_

No…that was just stupid folklore, right? And yet, Frieza couldn't shake the odd foreboding feeling coursing within him. He was unconsciously tapping his fingernails against the edge of his chair as he thought of the mere possibility of something like that arising. What he had always dreaded about the Saiyans was them getting strong enough to overtake him in a collective effort. Their numbers being reduced to only five certainly rectified that problem. But yet…he could feel something _greater_. Something boiling beneath the surface under his own watch. It was no secret that the Saiyans detested Frieza, and…

_No!_ Frieza snapped to himself, almost breaking his glass of wine he was gripping it so tightly. There wasn't to be a single person in the universe beyond his clan that exceeded him in power, and he wouldn't allow such a being to even come to existence. _Especially_ if it were a piece of monkey trash. Frieza's lips curled into a devious smirk, as he was now satisfied with the decision he had come to. The lizard tyrant slowly rotated his chair so he was facing Zarbon.

"I think I have some rather _different_ plans as it pertains to the Saiyans' next assignment…"

* * *

><p>Gohan, walking away from the medical unit after spending a few minutes in the rejuvenation chamber healing his wounds from his spar with Vegeta, stepped into the sleeping quarters and sat down on his cot. He couldn't help but marvel at his power level – it had to have been at 20,000 now. Even though Zarbon, Dodoria, and the others within Frieza's ranks had continued their own training to keep from being surpassed, Gohan knew that his power level was growing <em>too<em> fast for them. He would catch up to those two bastards soon.

Gohan removed his armor and the top half of his suit and began examining his chest area. He had accumulated many scars over the years; some acquired in battle, others as a result of Vegeta. However, it was some of the other scars, the ones dealt by the hands of Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria, that made Gohan's temper rise. They served as a visual reminder of who his greatest targets were; why he continued living as he did. He looked down at one particular scar that spanned across his chest. He would never forget the moment that caused that. Gohan hissed irritably as his head started to flood with memories of that day…

_If there was one thing Gohan hated, it was when Frieza insisted on having him train with_ his_ people, rather than Vegeta. What he had particularly repulsed were his "training sessions" with Zarbon. They were completely unlike his spars with Vegeta – the Saiyan prince was trying to get Gohan stronger, trying to teach him things about battle. Zarbon, on the other hand, used his spars as just an excuse to ruthlessly abuse and humiliate the eight year old half-Saiyan._

_Zarbon opened the doors to one of the training rooms and swung it open, Gohan following him. Not even attempting to conceal his irritation with the whole matter, Gohan slammed the door shut with his foot, which only made the tall, slender alien snicker in amusement. Gohan looked at Zarbon with narrowed eyes, a nasty scowl ever present on his face. That smug smirk that never left the face of Zarbon when he was around the Saiyans made Gohan sick to his stomach. He had grown to despise Zarbon just as much as he did Frieza. Zarbon tilted his head up and folded his arms across his chest._

"_Come at me, monkey," he ordered._

_Gohan released an animalistic growl but nonetheless did as ordered, crouching into a stance resembling the one he remembered his father using. Taking a quick leap forward, Gohan swung his fist at Zarbon but the man easily swung out of the way, leaving Gohan to fall to the floor. The boy's brows furrowed in irritation and he got up and faced Zarbon once more. He tried to hit him with several kicks, but was met with the same results as he had with the first punch. Zarbon's amused laughter the whole time only served to anger Gohan even further, as his attacks picked up in speed._

_However, with a mere swipe of his forearm, Zarbon sent Gohan flying face first into the wall. Gohan hit the stone surface with considerable force; his ears were ringing after his head collided with it. Slowly getting up to his feet, Gohan snarled at Zarbon, overcome with the desire to wipe that disgusting smirk off of his face. _

_Now taking a different approach, Gohan raised both of his palms up, gathering a considerable amount of Ki to them. He released multiple Ki blasts, attempting to divert Zarbon's attention while he phased out of sight and reappeared behind him. Gohan smirked as he thrust his fist forward, assured that he got the bastard. However, almost as quickly as the punch was thrown, Gohan found himself subdued – Zarbon had swung around and grabbed his arm at the last second and twisted it behind his back. Gohan's knees buckled as a result of the pain and he was soon kneeling on the floor in agony, Zarbon still having him locked into a hold._

"_Such a shame," Zarbon taunted, "I bet you don't feel so tough now, do you monkey?"_

_Gohan hissed in anger as he desperately tried to remove himself from Zarbon's clutches. However, the smug, green alien instead drove his knee into his spine, forcing Gohan to arch his back as he kept it firmly planted in place. Zarbon's growing laughter made Gohan so enraged he was trembling, so desperate in trying to unleash his full power. Just as it seemed that a blazing aura was building around him, Zarbon cut it short when he ruthlessly drove his elbow into Gohan's sternum. The half-Saiyan violently convulsed and spat out a mouthful of blood._

_Zarbon released his hold, allowing Gohan to fall face-first to the floor. He kicked Gohan in the stomach to roll him over on his back, looking Gohan in the eye. As Gohan slowly opened his, a fire began building within him. He wanted nothing more than to crush Zarbon's skull beneath his feet; to dish out a terror that would exceed the tortures Zarbon dealt him tenfold. However, he was incredibly weak from the pain of Zarbon's attack. Slow to rise back to his feet, Gohan brushed his bangs off of his sweat drenched forehead and crouched into a defensive position._

_Zarbon raised his arm as a bright, blue Ki began forming around his hand. Gohan swallowed heavily in his throat as the Ki formed into a blade._

"_Now, defend yourself, Saiyan."_

_In a sudden move, Zarbon leapt at Gohan, swinging his deadly Ki-laden arm directly at Gohan's face. Gohan hastily swung backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade and then quickly got back up into a crouching position. He tried to sneak a punch to Zarbon's ribs, but the green alien slammed his elbow onto his head. Gohan fell to the floor and rolled over on his back, the muscles in his jaw flexing when the first thing he saw was Zarbon's glowing hand closing in on him. Gohan rolled out of the way, but when he tilted his head to the side, he saw Zarbon's hand engraved deep into the floor; it served as a chilling warning of what the blade of Ki could do to him._

_Gohan quickly shot back up and dodged all of Zarbon's attacks sent his way. However, exhaustion was quickly beginning to catch up to him, as he was slow in avoiding the thrusts of Zarbon's arms. Zarbon swung his leg at Gohan's head, but the half-Saiyan jumped back to get out of the way. However, he stumbled on his foot upon landing, leaving him wide-open for Zarbon's attack. Zarbon lunged at him, and with one swift swing of his arm, sliced Gohan right across the chest with his Ki-blade, easily breaking through his armor and piercing his skin. Gohan let out a scream that hardly sounded human as the blood spilled from the wound, losing his strength to even stand. He desperately clutched at his chest; it felt like it was on fire._

_Zarbon didn't even attempt to ease his pain, however. Instead, he uncoiled Gohan's tail and squeezed it tightly, only furthering Gohan's agony. He planted his foot down hard on Gohan's lower back, laughing sadistically over Gohan's anguished howls._

_The last thing Gohan heard was Zarbon's maniacal cackles before his world went black._

Gohan blinked rapidly and furiously shook his head, trying to force away the various memories coming back. He despised Zarbon so much, but his hatred only served to fuel Gohan's determination to grow in power. Gohan could practically envision the day that he, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz blindsided Frieza and his men and overthrew him. He was going to make sure to get a good look at the horror that would fill Zarbon's eyes before he crushed him and keep it engraved in his memories for years to come.

With a devious smirk on his face, Gohan lay down on his cot to get some sleep. In his dreams, he envisioned the day he would finally escape the clutches of the tyrant.

What he didn't know was how soon that day was going to come, and not in the way he had imagined.

* * *

><p>Gohan arose from his cot the next day and put on a fresh set of armor. Vegeta was getting ready as well, completing his outfit with his typical white gloves as he turned his attention to Gohan.<p>

"Nappa says Frieza's going to give us our next mission today, Gohan," Vegeta explained. Due to the respect Gohan had earned, Vegeta now referred to him by his actual name.

Gohan cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Perfect. It better be something good."

Vegeta grunted in agreement as the two Saiyans left the sleeping quarters and headed towards Frieza's throne room. Nappa and Raditz were already waiting there, and when the other two arrived, the two guards opened the doors. The Saiyans stepped in the room, getting on their usual kneeling position. The sight was slightly different from before – only Zarbon was there; Dodoria was absent.

"Ah, my precious Saiyans…" Frieza said. Vegeta clenched his jaw tightly in discomfort. He could see a gleam in the lizard tyrant's eyes, denoting something that Vegeta couldn't quite put his finger on. It was either something to worry about, or another one of the millions of Frieza's odd eccentricities. Figuring it was the latter, Vegeta took a deep breath, sweeping away whatever uneasy feelings he had.

"I assume that my elder pets have been conducting quite the exercise in Gohan's absence, am I correct?" Frieza inquired.

"Yes, Lord Frieza," Vegeta replied.

"Splendid. Now then, I have decided to shake things up for you Saiyans a bit. After all, life is dull without a little _sizzle_," Frieza explained, drawing confused looks from the Saiyans. Zarbon simply laughed.

"What do you mean?" Nappa asked.

"I am curious as to how the eldest Saiyans can do on a high level purge without the presence of our growing pre-adolescent. And that is why I have assigned Gohan with a planet separate from you three," Frieza announced.

While the Saiyans were confused by Frieza's decisions, it was nothing that particularly distressed them. Years of survival missions left Gohan assured that he could handle a planet by himself, and the full-blooded Saiyans had been destroying planets with just the three of them for years before Gohan came into the picture. It was just the peculiarity of Frieza's choice.

"For the full-bloods, I am assigning you all to Planet Zoyia. It is a rather big planet located in the far west galaxy; average power level is about 30,000. Its coordinates are 5278XY. I am giving you all a week to conquer it." The Saiyans nodded. They were excited to be getting big work again.

"As for _you_, Son Gohan," Frieza said, his voice darkening in its tone, "I am sending you to Planet Gyoza. That planet is located in the southeast, its coordinates being 124JZ. Average power level is 10,000. You can complete it in a mere day."

Gohan groaned. He could take out a planet of that capacity easily. However, knowing there was no point in protesting Frieza's decisions, Gohan instead replied, "As you wish, Lord Frieza."

"Do not disappoint me, Saiyans; especially _you_, Son Gohan," Frieza said with a dark chuckle, making Gohan raise an eyebrow in confusion. How could he possibly disappoint him with a planet where the average power level was 10,000? Sure, that was enough to push someone like Arepa to her limits, but him? Gohan wrote it off as Frieza trying to instill fear in him.

"You four are dismissed."

As the four left the room, Nappa laughed. "Heh, looks like Frieza's trying to slow down your progress."

"I should've seen it coming," Gohan snarled, irritably slamming his fist into the wall next to him. "_Of_ _course_ he would give me something easy after seeing how I tore through his pathetic survival mission."

"It is no matter," Vegeta dismissively replied. "Just get as much fun out of the planet as you can."

Gohan nodded as they left the building and began their march to the space pods. The group split off, the full-blooded Saiyans going to the right, Gohan going to the left. The half-Saiyan pressed the button to open his space pod and seated himself into the cramped orb. He pressed a button on the control deck, closing the door.

"_Landing coordinates?" _an automated voice queried.

"124JZ."

"_Destination set."_

Gohan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat as his pod blasted off into the air. He was going to finish this planet a little bit slowly, to increase the likelihood of him getting a stronger planet when he was through with this one.

* * *

><p>When Gohan got out of the crater his space pod had formed in its landing on Planet Gyoza, his eyes fluttered in confusion. The pink sky was filled with thick clouds of smoke, and Gohan's nostrils picked up the distinct smell of flames raging throughout the area. What made Gohan <em>really<em> confused, however, was the sight laid out in front of him that spanned for what looked to be miles on end – corpses. Thousands of them.

"What the hell?" Gohan exclaimed. This couldn't have been right. From the looks of it, somebody had already purged this planet of all of its life. Gohan let out a frustrated growl and stomped his foot so hard in the ground he made it crack. "Goddammit, Frieza! You still haven't learned a damn thing from what happened with Kabnet!" Gohan shouted, airing his grievances out loud. "Bastard's got me on an empty assignment once again..." Gohan lifted his foot off the ground and growled low in his throat.

"Whatever," Gohan muttered, as he continued surveying the damage dealt to the planet. He looked around – the ground was laden with piles of dead bodies. The smell of death rang fresh in the air. "Whoever purged this place has done one hell of a job, that's for sure."

Gohan hadn't taken even five steps when he suddenly heard an explosion go off from behind him. The force of the shockwave caused Gohan to fall face-first on the ground. He quickly arose to his feet however, and turned around to the area of the loud blast. His heart started pounding at speeds that were assuredly unnatural when he saw what had occurred from down below.

"My space pod!"

It was destroyed. The only things that remained of the pod were scraps of metal and sparks of electricity coming from the destroyed control panel. Gohan clenched his fists tightly, his anger quickly rising. Who the hell had the gall to do such a thing? His heated thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an obnoxious fit of laughter going on from above him. Gohan looked up to the sky. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head – floating several feet above him was a certain pink, spiky, snickering alien-

"Dodoria! What the hell are you doing here? Answer me!" Gohan demanded, lookng up with a deep scowl over seeing the rotund, pink bastard.

Dodoria's laughter only grew. The pink creature jumped down, flipping in mid-air before landing on the ground to the stunned half-Saiyan. He methodically stalked towards Gohan, his malicious grin growing with each step he took.

Sweat began trailing down Gohan's head as he clenched his fists tightly at his sides. He squared his shoulders in preparation for battle. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out from the look on Dodoria's face that he was here for a fight. But why? Had Dodoria decided to rebel against Frieza? Or was he-

Before Gohan could even complete his thought, Dodoria suddenly phased right in front of him and rocked him with a punch squarely in the jaw. The blow sent Gohan flying several feet back, and he hit the ground so hard it began cracking beneath him, clouds of dust building around his body.

Gohan sat up, muttering curses under his breath as he rubbed at his jaw furiously, fixing Dodoria with a murderous glare. He was seething with pure rage at the betrayal he had just been dealt with. Dodoria continued his slow walk towards him.

"W-what the hell are you doing, Dodoria?" Gohan snarled, his expression holding a mix of both bewilderment and anger.

Dodoria instead continued walking, stopping until he was only a few feet away from Gohan. He raised his arm and opened his palm, which had a deadly amount of Ki flaring around it. Gohan's heart skipped a beat as the light grew in size, aiming to blow him to dust.

Dodoria gave a chuckle that made Gohan's bones chill. The glow around his palm grew once more.

"I'm afraid you've been…_excommunicated."_

He then fired.


	10. Against All Odds

Gohan had barely even been able to jump out of the way of Dodoria's fearsome blast, escaping it by only a hair's breadth. Sweat was trickling down his forehead as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Dodoria, not giving him a chance to collect his thoughts, immediately went on the offensive. He flew straight at Gohan and delivered a vicious punch, but Gohan raised both of his arms to block it. The half-Saiyan grinded his teeth hard, as the force of Dodoria's punch was enough to deal a decent amount of pain to his forearms. Without hesitation, Dodoria swung his leg up for a kick that would have torn Gohan's head off had he not ducked down to dodge it. Now furious beyond belief, Gohan exploded his Ki around him and blasted off into the sky.

"What do you mean, excommunicated?" Gohan demanded, with a hint of shakiness in his voice as suspicion crept up to him.

Dodoria cackled from down below. "You're becoming more trouble than you're worth, monkey boy. Lord Frieza has decided that you're growing far too powerful for your own good, and has ordered your elimination before you can even become a threat!" he explained, snickering in amusement as he spoke.

All of the color drained from Gohan's face; Dodoria's words had hit him like a freight train. Gohan tried to open his mouth to respond, but his mind was racing at a million miles per second; he couldn't make sense of anything that he was just told he was so scared. Frieza had ordered for him to be killed? Even after he spent the last eight years working at his hands and feet?

_Shit_, Gohan cursed. _W-why didn't I see this coming sooner…why else would that bastard send me off by myself…? _

Dodoria began his slow ascent into the air, laughing in anticipation for the kill. He had never liked Gohan; the half-breed was nothing more than a pale imitation of Vegeta with a chip on his shoulder. The three existing Saiyans had already been enough, but then when this kid dropped in, it only served to further annoy him. He wished Frieza would just up and kill them all. Dodoria felt an odd nostalgia…the memories of a similar occurrence he had carried out on a certain fateful day 32 years ago were returning to him. The boy looked just like those other Saiyans did just before they met their icy fate.

Dodoria halted when he was only feet across from Gohan. The half-Saiyan could only look at him with wide eyes. He was quivering in shock, the prospect of his final moments beginning to sink in. He wanted to believe this was just a nightmare. Dodoria cracked his knuckles in preparation.

"It's been fun, kid. Give the rest of your simian forefathers my regards when you see them in hell," he darkly sneered.

Gohan clenched his fists tightly and furiously shook his head, forcing away the cold sweat that had been drenching his face. There was one thing he wasn't, and that was a coward. Grinding his teeth so hard he was nearly turning them to dust, Gohan resolved his course of action. He didn't give a damn if he was going to die here – he was going to go out with a fight. Dodoria may have been more powerful than him, but he was going to leave this planet regretting the day he crossed Son Gohan in his final moments. He knew that his only chance of escaping alive was with the Great Ape transformation, but he also knew that Dodoria would never give him the opportunity to create the power ball for it.

Now very confident, Gohan gave Dodoria a crazed smirk that would rival even Vegeta's. "So that coward finally showed his true colors, huh?" Gohan said snidely. "So be it; but know this Dodoria – I'm not going out before I tear off at least one of your limbs, you disgusting son of a bitch!"

Dodoria's veins pulsed over being insulted, but he quickly brushed it aside, widening his grin. "Oh, I would like to see you try."

Gohan indignantly grunted while removing his scouter and tossing it to the ground. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he let out a roar that rang throughout the atmosphere. A fierce, blue aura suddenly flared up around him, the force of it sending Dodoria back a few feet. The planet began shaking, and the sky darkened as a result of the power Gohan was putting out. He was laying it all on the line. When his power calmed down, Gohan fixed Dodoria with a murderous glare.

Gohan furiously charged at Dodoria, delivering a brutal punch to his jaw with an alarming amount of strength that managed to catch him off guard. The blow had sent Dodoria flying hundreds of feet back, and Gohan flew straight ahead of him at twice the amount of speed. Circling so he was directly in front of the pink warrior, Gohan clenched both of his fists together over his head and then brutally slammed them down onto Dodoria's. He could practically feel the spikes that layered his forehead being squished beneath the force of his fists.

Before Dodoria could even finish his quick descent to the sandy surface below, Gohan shot back down and delivered a staggering knee right to the center of his stomach. When Dodoria was mere inches from the ground, Gohan caught up to him once again, this time grabbing him by his pudgy arm and, with all of the strength he could muster, spun around and tossed the larger warrior clean across into a cliff. The large structure exploded into thousands of tiny rocks when Dodoria hit it.

Not allowing his assault to falter for even a nanosecond, Gohan hastily charged up a deadly amount of Ki to his palms and began firing streams of Ki blasts like a machine gun. The blasts rocked the planet's surface to hell and back, triggering hundreds of explosions and clouding the entire area with smoke that spanned for miles. Gohan finally wavered off his assault. His forehead was throbbing from all of the energy he was exerting as he panted heavily, observing the smoke as it trailed through the sky. He betrayed a small chuckle; he had a lingering suspicion that it wasn't enough, but he'd be damned if that wasn't satisfying.

As the smoke settled, Gohan could make out that familiar, round figure. With his acute vision, he looked further, studying Dodoria's state. His breath shortened when the image became clear. Dodoria was standing in the middle of the rubble, with both of fists clenched tightly at his sides and an angered scowl present on his face. Even though his armor was badly damaged, with the shoulder pads destroyed, he looked like the attack hadn't even hurt him.

"D-dammit…" Gohan hissed through his teeth.

Dodoria released a horrific growl, his eyes filled with anger and shock. He hadn't expected for the kid to be so strong. "You…you fucking brat! I WILL KILL YOU!" he shouted, steam practically shooting out of his nose.

With a speed that completely escaped Gohan's eyesight, Dodoria zipped right to him. Gohan could only look at the pink alien with wide, empty eyes before he was knocked flying, getting hit with an elbow straight to his nose. The half-Saiyan was nothing if not tenacious, however, halting his flight in mid-air and flying right back at Dodoria, brushing the blow off even though his nose was throbbing. He threw a deadly punched aimed at Dodoria's head, but it was blocked. A kick was met with the same result.

The two warriors went into a lightning-fast exchange of attacks, with Dodoria on the defensive. The sheer force of Gohan's unsuccessful attacks created shock waves that violently shook the planet. Dodoria broke the exchange with a staggering kick sent right to Gohan's jaw that forced him many feet into the air. Gohan stopped himself and spat out a mouthful of blood as he rubbed his jaw. He could feel it swelling from the force of the attacks Dodoria was hitting him with.

Dodoria was flying at him at a break-neck pace. Gohan flared his Ki up around and him and flew back, forcing Dodoria to chase him around. He finally stopped when he was a few feet behind a large rock as Dodoria dashed towards him and violently thrust his fist at his face. Gohan evaded the punch in the nick of time as Dodoria's fist hit the rock instead and shattered it to pieces. Gohan broke a cold sweat upon seeing the power the pink bastard displayed. He could only imagine what he would have been reduced to if he allowed that punch to hit.

Flying up into the sky once more, Gohan watched as Dodoria caught up to him. Gathering up his Ki quickly, Gohan fired a lethal Ki wave straight at him. However, Dodoria vanished, avoiding the blast. Gohan watched the explosion of the ground as the wave hit and growled in frustration. However, he didn't even notice Dodoria phase in right behind him. The warrior laughed before hitting Gohan right in the back of the head with his forearm.

Gohan crashed into the ground hard, dust exploding around him from the impact of the hit. Gohan jumped back up, ignoring the annoying sound of his ears ringing. He looked up at Dodoria with intense hatred as he rocketed back into the sky and delivered a kick to his face that had nearly all of his strength behind it. As Dodoria flew back at high speed, Gohan caught up to him and rained down on him with debilitating hit after debilitating hit, not allowing the larger fighter to move even an inch. However, Dodoria was able to break his assault by diving at him head-first, smashing his spiky pink cranium into Gohan's. Gohan grit his teeth at Dodoria and attempted to punch him again, but Dodoria jumped to the side to evade it and grabbed Gohan's arm. He hooked it behind the half-breed's back and wrapped his large arm around his neck, locking him in a chokehold. Gohan tried to squirm out of Dodoria's iron grip as he gasped for air, but it was no use.

Dodoria smirked as he flipped upside down with Gohan still in his grip and spiraled down to the ground at intense speed. Just when he was merely a few feet above the surface, Dodoria let Gohan go and halted his own descent, letting the pre-teen hit the ground head-first on his own. Gohan's landing caused the rocky surface to explode around him. Dodoria floated back to the ground as the smoke settled around him, walking to Gohan's fallen body at a methodical pace, stopping just short of the small crater he was laying in. He triumphantly crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at Gohan; the only thing on him that was moving was his long, spiky hair, from the wind.

"I guess that's all you had in ya, monkey boy. Time to finish the job." Dodoria raised his hand over Gohan's body. It was now glowing with a bright, pink Ki. "Now, burn in he-"

Before he could even get his last word out, Gohan lifted his upper body off of the rigid surface and fired a brutal Ki wave right at his face that sent him flying back for miles. Gohan slowly got up to one knee as he caught his breath, unconcerned over the blood that was flowing down his face from the open wound in his forehead. He felt like he had been in multiple successive car crashes from his fight so far, his body feeling more like a mess of bones than anything properly functional. Shielding his eyes from the explosion triggered by Dodoria's collision with a faraway mountain, Gohan staggered up to both feet.

In almost record time, Dodoria sped back to where Gohan was, much to his shock. Dodoria was now sporting a hideous burn between his insanity-filled eyes. "Why you no-good, impudent, arrogant little monkey…I am going to beat you until you're unrecognizable!" Dodoria's Ki exploded around him as if he were trying to punctuate the threat.

Gohan staggered back and swallowed heavily. _Dammit…Dodoria's a tank…I don't know how much longer I can keep this up,_ he bleakly thought.

Dodoria's energy built up around him. Gohan hissed and crouched into a fighting stance. It didn't matter how much he was outmatched. He was going to fight Dodoria regardless.

* * *

><p>Frieza sat in his floating chair while sipping from his glass of wine. This particular drink was absolutely exquisite in taste, originating from a root that he had retrieved from a planet he had sent Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz to clear during Gohan's absence. Giving a devious smirk, Frieza leaned back into his chair. He mentally patted himself on the back for his cunning in insidious plots.<p>

He had executed the plan perfectly. Once everything went right (and he knew it would), Gohan would officially be out of his hair. It personally annoyed him that he had to constantly pull strings and cover his plots up, but alas. He would definitely be in hot water with his father if it were to be discovered that he ordered for a soldier to be killed, and Lord [Frieza] knows Cooler would be on his ass about it.

Those Saiyans annoyed him, that was for sure. He favored Vegeta for his ruthlessness and the fact that whether the so-called prince liked it or not, he could keep him on a leash if need be. But Gohan had always been a loose cannon. Oh sure, he certainly _tried_ to maintain his composure, likely with instruction from Vegeta, but there was a reason besides his terrifying power why Frieza was a galactic emperor – he could read people's expressions like a book. And it was clear every time the half-breed was in his or Zarbon's presence that he was a time bomb waiting to explode. And his ridiculously huge threshold for growth meant that he was a danger to his position, and thus, he had to go, even though he never even provoked him into requiring his extermination.

But such was the life of a (proudly) self-admitted tyrant.

The doors to his throne room opened, and his loyal right-hand man Zarbon came through. "Sir, Gohan's spaceship was knocked off the grid. The plan has now gone into motion."

Frieza took a sip from his wine glass and gave an approving sigh. "Yes, excellent. It's high time that boy was finally eliminated."

"Sadly, I wanted to see the little shit get killed for my own two eyes," Zarbon snickered.

Frieza bust out into an almost psychotic laughter. "No matter, Zarbon! I'll make sure Dodoria at least brings his corpse before I have it incinerated!"

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do about the full-blooded Saiyans?" Zarbon inquired.

Frieza dismissively waved his unoccupied hand at his subordinate. "Do not concern yourself with them. None of their powers will grow at the same alarming frequency as the boy's so long as we keep them under control. We'll just say Gohan was caught off guard in his purge and met his untimely end, and the monkeys will be none the wiser."

"An excellent plan, my Lord," Zarbon praised. "Though I suspect Arepa will be heartbroken over the most unfortunate news," he remarked, recalling the belligerent friendship between the two.

Frieza laughed in amusement once again. "Ah, children…they all make for such thrilling entertainment, don't they?"

Just then, a man came bursting through the door. He was very weak looking, as he approached Frieza with an exasperated look on his face. "Lord Frieza, Son Gohan's ship just went off the grid, should we possibly send reinfor-"

In an instant, Frieza incinerated the lowly technician alive with nothing but a twitch of his eye, not even bothering to turn his attention towards him. The subordinate's last terrified scream echoed throughout the vast room. Zarbon didn't even bat an eye at the violence.

"Honestly, how many times have I told those simpletons not to come barging in when I'm clearly in the middle of a meeting?"

* * *

><p>Vegeta floated up from the crater his space pod landed in, having just arrived on Zoyia. Vegeta looked around, observing the blue sky that had a hint of a greyish hue, and taking in the very cold climate. He had an odd feeling swelling within him that he couldn't quite get a handle of, but he just assumed he was being paranoid. Nappa was running his scouter, as was Raditz. Vegeta took a few steps forward, but he was once again feeling a strange foreboding. Vegeta's brows furrowed in irritation; he didn't even notice Nappa trying to inform him of something as he tried to figure out what was making him feel so much paranoia.<p>

"Uh, hello…Vegeta…?" Nappa said in confusion.

"What?" Vegeta harshly replied.

Nappa looked at Vegeta with a raised eyebrow while Raditz stepped forward, concerned with the hint of anxiety he was reading in the normally level-headed Saiyan Prince's features. "I-is something wrong, Vegeta?"

Vegeta grunted and took a few steps forward, frowning in thought. His intuition was never wrong – something odd was giving him an ominous feeling. But what? Was it the warriors of this planet? He was already aware of the immense power levels contained on this planet; hell, he was inviting it, as he was sure he was finally going to get that battle he was craving for too long. Yes, the battle that would push him beyond his limits and bring him to a new plateau.

So then, what the hell was troubling him so much?

Not wanting to take any chances, Vegeta pressed a button on his scouter to activate the communication, trying to get a reach on another ally who he turned to in these types of situations – Gohan. As he surfed through the various links, he heard a very familiar voice ringing in, clearly in the midst of conversation-

"_It's so poetic, isn't it, Zarbon?"_ asked Frieza, giving an amused chuckle.

"_It is indeed, Lord Frieza,"_ Zarbon said in the background, laughing as well.

"_If my dates are correct, than today will mark exactly 32 years since I had Dodoria wipe out Bardock's crew…and now I'm doing it to his grandson as well!" _Frieza exclaimed through an insanity-filled cackle.

Vegeta's jaw sank open and his throat went dry. Sweat began trailing down his head as his hand was locked on his scouter. Raditz stepped forward to ask Vegeta what was wrong, but the Prince absent-mindedly waved his hand at him.

"_Yes…32 years since you blew up Planet Vegeta and exterminated that filthy monkey race!"_ Zarbon replied. _"The universe is such a better place without them."_

Vegeta suddenly lost all of his strength to stand. He sank to his knees on the sandy ground, feeling like a crushing weight had just been dropped onto his shoulders. He felt like the most foolish being in the universe…he had spent 31 years working on his hands and knees for that tyrant…the man who _destroyed_ _his planet and people_. He wanted to vomit, he felt so sick with himself. What would his people say to him if they saw him right now…what would his _father_ say? All of those years, he had been lied to. He believed Frieza's explanation about a meteor collision like a naïve fool. He could only stare blankly, his mouth agape.

Nappa and Raditz both exchanged looks, trying to figure out what Vegeta had just heard. Nappa took an anxious step forward, reaching out his hands to his Prince. "Vegeta, what's wrong? Did you hear something over your scouter?"

"F-Frieza…destroyed…" Vegeta stuttered, "…our home planet…it wasn't a meteor…"

"WHAT?" Nappa and Raditz both screamed at the top of their lungs. They could hardly believe what was coming from Vegeta's mouth.

"_Do you think we should check in on Dodoria to see how he's doing?" _Zarbon asked curiously.

Frieza laughed again._ "I already instructed him to inform me once he took care of Gohan. I didn't forbid him from having some fun with the little monkey, after all!" _he replied, oblivious to the fact that his scouter was even on and that Vegeta was listening in.

With a shaky finger, Vegeta turned his scouter off and let his arm hang to the side. He couldn't believe what was happening anymore. It was as if his entire world around him crumbled. He was a failure. A failure to himself and his fallen race. He was supposed to be the Prince of all Saiyans…the man who, as a little boy, had made the entire Saiyan population speechless at his potential. He was the man they all thought would achieve the legendary…and yet, here he was, a slave to the tyrant who erased them from existence. And now, one of the only 5 people left with Saiyan blood, one who he had practically taken in as a _son_, was going to be killed under Frieza's watch.

He could _not_ let this happen.

"W-we have to go…to planet Gyoza…" Vegeta rasped out, his voice completely devoid of its usual edge.

"Why…?" Nappa asked, still too bewildered to even form a coherent thought.

"Gohan's going to be killed…" Vegeta replied.

"What the hell?" Raditz exclaimed. A wave of nausea hit the long haired Saiyan as he recalled that day eight years ago, when he first brought his nephew to work for him and the Saiyans. He was such a whiny, sniveling little brat, tainted by the ways of the pacifistic earthlings. And yeah, he resented how much more stronger than him he had become, but deep down, he felt a great sense of pride witnessing how much Gohan had transformed. He went from a crybaby to a ruthless warrior. His very own blood; his father would surely be proud. Was he really going to let him get killed?

"Let's get a move on, Vegeta!" Raditz impatiently yelled.

"He's right; we don't have _any_ time to waste. We have to hurry!" Nappa yelled, offering a hand to help Vegeta up. Vegeta took it without protest, as Nappa effortlessly lifted him back up to his feet. The Prince wobbled around a little bit, still wary of his ability to even remain standing.

"C'MON, VEGETA!" Nappa yelled, already near his space pod with Raditz hurrying after him. That was enough to snap Vegeta out of his trance as he ran to his space pod as well. With great speed, he jumped into the seat. Vegeta growled impatiently as the door rose up to close – it was may as well have been moving with the speed of a snail to him. Vegeta damn near smashed the control panel as he turned on the button to activate the automated voice.

"_Landing coordinat-"_

"GYOZA!" Vegeta screamed into the machine.

"_Landing coordinates set."_

The space pod blasted off into the sky and away from the planet he was assigned to. To hell with his mission. Frieza's reign over him was over, as far as he was concerned. He didn't care if he was going to die if he tried to help; at least he'd go out with some semblance of dignity.

* * *

><p>Gohan flew straight into a cliff, the punch Dodoria had delivered to his face just seconds earlier making him see multiple colors at once. He hit the rocky structure hard, and it didn't give way at all, only adding on to his pain. Gohan sank back to the ground and slowly rose to his feet. His vision was fading in and out as Dodoria came charging back at him. Gohan jumped away from the kick Dodoria aimed at him and fired a blast at his shoulder, although the large warrior swatted it away like it was a Frisbee. Gohan was at his wit's end; he couldn't understand how the hell Dodoria was able to keep getting back up. He had thrown everything he had and the kitchen sink, yet the only outward damage the bastard seemed to take were trivial bruises and messed up armor.<p>

Dodoria phased in front of Gohan and delivered a kick to his stomach that knocked the wind out of the 12 year-old. He doubled over, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he did, and then Dodoria viciously slammed his elbows onto the back of his neck. Gohan hit the ground in a heap. He broke into a fit of violent coughs and stood back up once again, protectively placing his left arm over his stomach. With his right hand, he wiped a trickle of blood coming from his lip and then lifted both of his arms. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides as he squared his shoulders.

"Still not enough, Dodoria!" he boasted with a smirk, though his hoarse voice betrayed his cocky front.

Dodoria merely laughed haughtily at the boy's impudence. "Y'know, I really don't know what goes on inside the heads of you Saiyans; you act like you're so tough, even when you're _clearly_ outmatched!" The pink monster cracked his knuckles. "Oh well; makes it more fun for me!"

Gohan's eye twitched before he charged at Dodoria and tried to kick him in the neck. However, he was too slow, as Dodoria easily moved out of the way and kicked him straight in the ribs. Gohan could feel his ribs shatter as he crashed into a cliff, this one actually breaking. Gohan desperately gasped for air after he got back up, and he was much slower in standing. His coughing became more frequent and violent, though he did his best to try and look tough. Dodoria once again began his flight towards him.

Gohan let out a loud yell and caught Dodoria off guard with a shockwave of Ki. With the distraction, Gohan rocketed towards Dodoria and kicked him in the jaw, knocking him upwards. From there, Gohan flew at him with all of his strength. Dodoria halted his flight and then came down at Gohan. The two went into another quick staggeringly fast exchange of blows. From the onset, they appeared even, but any experienced fighter could tell just from their facial expressions who was really in control. Gohan was throwing everything he had at Dodoria, but the larger of the two was either brushing the blows off or swatting his punches and kicks away like they were nothing.

Dodoria slammed his elbow into the sternum of Gohan so hard he could fell his ribcage almost crumbling in him. However, none of that mattered to Gohan – his injuries, the hopelessness of his battle, nothing. He had put way too much time into building up his power. Frieza's betrayal absolutely disgusted Gohan, and he was going to make the tyrant pay tenfold for it. Even if he died here, he was going to dish out as much damage as he possibly could.

Dodoria roughly fisted a handful of Gohan's wild, gravity defying hair and chucked him like a common house item into a cliff hundreds of feet away. Gohan managed to fire a Ki wave at the rocky structure, however, and use it to propel himself back towards Dodoria. Once he came near, he spun around and brutally slammed his entire right leg into Dodoria's shoulder, actually eliciting a great deal of pain from him. Taking advantage of the injury, Gohan clamped both of his fists together and slammed them down on his shoulder. Gohan gave a satisfied grin when Dodoria let out a raw scream of pain. Gohan raised his hands up only inches away from his chest and fired a nasty Ki blast.

Dodoria flew into a mountain and crashed into it hard as Gohan doubled over, placing his hands on both of his knees as he panted heavily. He was running purely on adrenaline at this point, the only thing fueling him being determination. As he watched Dodoria approaching him from far ahead like a broken record, Gohan briefly wondered if Vegeta and the others were aware of Frieza's scheme.

* * *

><p>Vegeta impatiently drummed his fingers along the control panel of his ship. His earlier despair had given way to a red hot rage. He was so livid he doubted he could last long enough in his trip to Planet Gyoza before he ripped through the pod entirely and died in the emptiness of space. How could he have not had even an inkling of suspicion that Frieza was the man behind his planet's explosion? He had been taught not to trust <em>anyone<em>, and lived by the mantra for virtually his entire life, yet he bought Frieza's explanation hook, line, and sinker. Vegeta hated Frieza in ways he couldn't even express with words.

Vegeta shut his eyes fiercely and gripped his hair tightly with both of his hands. He tried to get his thoughts under control, though that seemed to be an impossible task. In the whirlwind of memories that rushed to his head, Vegeta recalled a specific one from two years ago…

_Vegeta slowly stood to his feet, his breathing very ragged. This fight had been going on seemingly forever, and even though it seemed that things were even, the large, bulky blue fighter across from him looked a hell of a lot less exhausted than he did. Vegeta looked to both sides of him, where Nappa and Raditz were both lying unconscious – Raditz by his very own doing. The blue warrior smirked and began gathering a large amount of Ki to his palms. The prince's eyes nearly glazed over before he snapped himself out of it and stood tall. The blast seemed easy enough to jump out of the way of._

_The only problem was, his legs felt like complete mush._

_As the blast began its rapid approach towards Vegeta, clouding his vision, he tried to will his legs to move, but they wouldn't budge at all, instead merely wobbling beneath him. He would be mincemeat if he allowed the blast to hit. Vegeta shut his eyes as he tried to muster up a good defense against the wave._

_However, in a sudden instant, a familiar figure jumped right in front of him, his long, black hair contrasting with the bright light._

"_Brat, what the hell are you doing-?"_

_Gohan ignored him and crossed both of his arms over his face. Gohan managed to form a field of energy around him and the three Saiyans, which made Vegeta's eyes widen in amazement. He still had trouble fathoming how much power the ten year-old brat had bubbling beneath him. He sure as hell wasn't this strong at his age._

_The blast hit the shield and began to disperse around them. The blue warrior could only look on in shock._

"_But, how…?" he asked, his voice strained. "Where the hell did that kid come from?"_

_Though Gohan's knees buckled beneath him a bit, he remained standing. "This ends here!" he declared._

What the hell does he think he's doing?_ Vegeta thought to himself as Gohan began gathering energy around his arm._

_The warrior clearly wasn't fazed by Gohan's tough front, however, and instead flew at him with great speed. Gohan fired the blast, which completely engulfed the warrior. Vegeta's jaw dropped as he watched every last bit of the warrior's body turn into space dust. He did a quick energy scan to confirm his suspicions before looking at Gohan with bewilderment._

"_Kid, how the __**fuck**__ did you do that…?" he indignantly asked._

_Gohan turned around and offered Vegeta a weak smirk. "See…t-told you, this…would end…here…" he choked out before falling on his back against the sandy surface of the planet they were on._

_Vegeta stepped closer to the boy, looking down on his unconscious figure. He felt a great sense of pride building up in his chest. He was still a half-breed little shit, but he'd be damned if he wasn't powerful. Vegeta slung the boy over his shoulder and then walked over to his subordinates to kick them back up._

Vegeta grunted in disgust over how much he was sweating over Gohan's safety. The half-breed was supposed to be his future target after taking care of Frieza, and yet, somewhere very deep inside, he had grown to care about the boy. The thought sickened him; he was a cold, ruthless warrior, beyond such stupid feelings, yet he looked at Gohan like the son he never had. He had personally taught the boy everything he knew about survival and battle, and even though he was unfathomably tough on him, Gohan stood his ground and answered the calling for survival every time he was needed. Half-breed or not, Vegeta couldn't deny it – Gohan was every bit worthy of the blood of the Saiyan race.

Vegeta slammed his fist onto the control panel of his ship as he let out a frustrated growl. He just hoped this goddamned pod arrived in time, before it was too late…

* * *

><p>When Dodoria arrived back from Gohan's last attack, he looked even angrier than before, as if that were even possible. He fired a Ki blast of his own right at Gohan's arm, making the boy scream in pain. The blast had torn through the fabric of his suit and burned his skin raw. Dodoria seized Gohan's head with both of his hands and then slammed his forehead against his multiple times on succession. His look of rage faded, instead becoming sadistic joy as he felt the blood from Gohan's head spill onto his own.<p>

Dodoria finally stopped and pulled Gohan's head back, observing his face closely. He was looking at Dodoria with a faraway, glazed over look as he desperately gasped for air. His flesh was a mess of blood and bruises, highlighted by the swelling around his jaw and nose area.

"Any last words, kid?" Dodoria mockingly asked.

Gohan lifted his hand up, using Dodoria's arm as assistance to raise it up to the taller fighter's eye level. Once he did that, he defiantly gave Dodoria the middle finger, flashing a weak, satisfied smirk devoid of sanity as he did.

Dodoria's iron grip tightened around Gohan's head as he grit his teeth heavily. He was hissing so hard his spit was spilling onto Gohan's face. He had it up to _here_ with the defiant little Saiyan. This should have been nothing more than a routine execution, yet it had gone on for far too long. Dodoria used his grip to bend Gohan down and shove him face first into his knee. Then, he violently slammed both of his spiky elbows down on Gohan's upper back.

Gohan's landing was his hardest yet. Before he even had a chance to crawl, he felt an intense weight slam on top of his back, giving Gohan so much pain his eyes nearly bulged out. He let out a blood-curdling scream as it took him all of his strength to even keep from keeling over right then and there.

Dodoria was sitting right on top of Gohan, looking down on him with a triumphant grin. The loud sound of the bones in Gohan's back breaking made Dodoria's laughter grow. He jumped high up into the air, and then, in a swift motion, slammed his backside onto Gohan once more, with almost twice as much force.

Hot tears of agony began to fill Gohan's eyes as Dodoria slammed his weight down on him _again._ He couldn't even feel his lower body anymore as Dodoria continued slamming down on Gohan in a continuous pattern. Gohan had been screaming so much that the area around his chin was stained with blood, spit, and snot. Dodoria finally stopped, now standing at Gohan's side. Gohan bit down on his bottom lip; his body was begging for sleep to relieve itself from the intense agony, and yet, for some reason, he wouldn't allow it.

Dodoria kicked Gohan's arm, which had no give as he was clutching his hands into the dirt as hard as possible. Dodoria snorted in pure amusement. "You should've never put up a fight, brat," Dodoria said as he began circling Gohan like a shark.

"But, then again, you _are_ nothing but a stupid piece of monkey shit. Small wonder that you would only go the hard route."

Gohan groaned in exhaustion at Dodoria's words. The pink alien stopped walking when he was on the side of Gohan opposite to where he had been standing before. He lifted his foot up as he began, "This would have been…"

Gohan cried out loudly in pain as Dodoria slammed his boot down onto his forearm, shattering all of the bones in it.

"…_SO MUCH _easier_,"_ he continued, removing his foot, "If you just would have surrendered and let me blast you to dust after I destroyed your space pod. It would have been _so_ quick and painless."

Gohan's arm was violently twitching and he bit down on his bottom lip so hard blood was trickling from it. His vision was fading in and out, clouded by his anguished tears and blood. He was teetering on the edge of consciousness, but he _would not_ give in.

Dodoria chuckled as he reached down and grabbed Gohan by his hair. He lifted his head up from the ground and then forced him to arch his back. He leaned in closely, laughing almost directly into Gohan's ears. However, his face then contorted into a snarl.

"But you see, you've pissed me off pretty good, so your death is going to be a _very_ slow one," he said in a cold, detached voice. "You brought this _all_ on yourself!"

Gohan let out a gurgled scream when Dodoria wrapped his large arm tightly around his throat. He coughed hoarsely as he started choking on the blood that was rising to his throat. Not letting Gohan's suffering waver for even a second, Dodoria used his other hand to hook Gohan's arm into a tight hold.

As Gohan heaved violently, now willing to give in to death, unconsciousness, or whatever the hell his body was begging to slip into, he began falling into thought. He felt utter shame and anger at his predicament. Was this really the end for him? Eight years of pushing his power to new heights to achieve a goal, only to get killed in a pathetic heap by one of Frieza's subordinates?

"Yeah, this position is much more fitting for a sniveling little mon-"

"_-key like you," Frieza said, looking straight into Gohan's eyes with a smirk so sinister it sent a shiver down his spine. He closed his eyes and dramatically sighed, shaking his head in feigned anguish. "I am so saddened that you still haven't learned that I do not tolerate disrespect. Honestly, I am trying to be _so_ accommodating, so I can make this lifestyle as easy on you as I possibly can…"_

_Gohan clamped down on his jaw tightly, fighting back the pain as he dangled from the ceiling by a knot tied securely around his tail. How he hadn't passed out from the pain was the greatest mystery in the universe. His face was drenched in sweat as Frieza took his chin into his hand._

_Frieza grunted absent-mindedly. "I see you still don't scream unless absolutely forced to." Frieza motioned his head to his right hand man, who was standing right behind Gohan. "You may use the fire whip, Zarbon."_

_Sweat trailed down Gohan's head as he heard a whip crack behind him, the snapping mixed with the sound of flames raging. Zarbon brought the whip close to Gohan, as the sheer heat from the flames coating the wire made him arch his back._

_Zarbon pulled his arm back and then rained down on Gohan's back with a hellish whip of the cord. Gohan let out a loud scream of terror as he felt the flames singe his flesh. Frieza tightened his one handed grip around Gohan's jaw to keep him from glazing over, his dark chuckles trailing throughout Gohan's head. Zarbon whipped Gohan once more, causing Gohan to cough spit onto Frieza's face. It didn't seem to falter the lizard tyrant at all; in fact, his malicious grin only widened._

_Gohan shot Frieza a murderous glare, one that overcame even the sheer exhaustion and pain he was experiencing from the merciless torture. His eyes were filled with a fire that raged even harder than the flames harnessed by the whip in Zarbon's hand._

_However, none of that mattered to the two vile creatures with him in the dark room. They only laughed at Gohan's plight. Zarbon hit Gohan with another fierce strike, one that finally knocked him out of consciousness…_

Gohan fiercely shut his eyes, forcing away the memories that were swarming his head like a flood.

_I'm so fucking pathetic… _

Gohan was shaking with rage in Dodoria's grip. In the last eight years, Frieza and his men had done everything to strip Gohan of his dignity. Constantly belittling his achievements. Subjecting him to pointless tortures. Spitting on his heritage. His entire purpose for getting stronger was one thing:

To destroy them all.

And yet here he was, borderline crippled, as nothing more than the plaything of a disgusting, pink abomination of a fighter. He truly felt pathetic. He _couldn't_ keel over and succumb to the cold hand of death. Not if Frieza and his men would be allowed to go unpunished for what they had dealt him.

_They…will…__**PAY!**_

A sudden rush of power began surging around Gohan. The savage beast lying deep within Gohan was overtaking him, filling him with an overwhelming need to destroy everything in front of him. Dodoria's laughter halted as the boy in his iron-tight hold began shaking, as if he were about to explode in any second.

Gohan released a roar that sounded otherworldly as power exploded around him, blowing Dodoria right off of him. The few cliffs that were still standing blew into thousands of pieces from the sheer force of Gohan's terrifying power. Another animalistic scream from the boy pierced through the air as more power built around him, causing the entire planet to shake violently.

Dodoria stumbled back, watching Gohan in a panic. Gohan stood back up and slowly turned around to face his enemy. Dodoria felt a chill that filled him to his very core when Gohan turned his eyes to him. That deadly, ice cold look of vengeance was a look Dodoria only thought Frieza himself was capable of harnessing. He felt true horror as he looked into Gohan's intense, black eyes, which were practically begging for his blood. Dodoria maddeningly shook his head, wiping away his sweat. He was _Dodoria_, dammit! One of Frieza's right hand men! He _never_ showed fear. Not caring for how dumb his actions were, Dodoria charged straight at the enraged half-Saiyan, thrusting his fist at him for what was sure to be a deadly punch.

However, Gohan grabbed his wrist with lightning quick speed. Dodoria could only scream in horror as Gohan's grip around his hand tightened. The half-Saiyan released a feral growl as he slowly broke all of the bones in Dodoria's wrist. Then, harboring not a shred of remorse or mercy in his cold eyes, Gohan ripped Dodoria's arm clean off. He offered no reaction to the howls of agony Dodoria released at the pain, ones that were so loud they made his voice hit octaves he should have never been capable of. Nor did he react to the blood that erupted from Dodoria's socket like a geyser and spilled onto the sand and parts of his own arm.

Gohan nonchalantly dropped Dodoria's severed limb and began his methodical walk towards the alien's groveling figure. With one swift swing of his leg, Gohan sent Dodoria flying hundreds of feet in the air with a brutal kick to the jaw. He phased out of sight and reappeared several feet above Dodoria, and then sent him right back to the ground with a punch packed with a fury Gohan had left bottled up for years. Gohan jumped back down to the ground, once again walking towards Dodoria at a methodical pace. Dodoria was desperately trying to get up, as blood squirted from the spot where his arm should have been like an orange being squeezed for juice.

Gohan crouched, cuffed his hands together, and pulled his arms back. His hand began burning with a deadly blue Ki that only expanded in his grip.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…"

Dodoria didn't even seem to notice the Ki Gohan was gathering, instead desperately trying to fight back the unbelievable amount of agony he was experiencing. Gohan gave him one last dark once-over…

"**HA!"**

Gohan fired a bright wave of Ki capable of destroying the entire planet at Dodoria, one that completely vaporized him. The deadly wave spanned for hundreds of miles before finally faltering.

Gohan remained locked into a firing position as he stared blankly at the aftermath of his blast. The power he summoned seemingly out of nowhere left him as the pain and exhaustion from mere minutes ago returned with a vengeance, causing Gohan to collapse face first to the floor.

But that didn't stop the strained laugh he let out before everything around him went black.


	11. Any Wish

"I'm just saying, I think it's a little bit peculiar that the half-breed brat's ship would go off the grid shortly after Dodoria's arrival."

"Well then, you're just preaching to the choir in that case," Frieza responded, being cordial but carrying the slightest hint of annoyance in his voice. "I'm sure Dodoria is just going to provide the boy with some assistance."

"I'm not quite sure if I can believe that, brother," the deep voice rang in, "After seeing how you wiped out the entire Saiyan race, especially with how much this case resembles the events surrounding it, I have reason to suspect that this whole thing is your doing."

"Paranoid are we, Cooler!" Frieza said in mock astonishment, casually sipping a glass of wine as he did.

"You know damn well that you can't carry out the death of a powerful soldier without provocation or probable cause," Cooler affirmed, his voice coming through Frieza's red scouter, "We and father agreed that the Saiyans race as a whole was a potential threat, but I know you have no reason to kill one of the few remaining ones."

"I assure you, dear brother, I have not done anything of that matter," Frieza pressed, his voice firm as if he _weren't_ telling a bold-faced lie.

"Whatever you say," Cooler responded in a distrustful tone. "I'm keeping an eye on this, regardless."

"Yes, yes, I know. It's been a pleasure," Frieza replied before pressing the button on his scouter to end the transmission with his brother. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked through the window, observing the vastness of space as he traveled in his flagship. Oh, how Cooler annoyed him! He always went around like he was some sort of police officer, snooping in on Frieza's potential suspicious plots as if he were his father rather than older brother. If it weren't for the whole, "He has one more transformation than him" deal, Frieza would have killed him a long time ago.

Yes, it was true – what he was doing completely violated the rules that he, his father, and his brother established. But he had his own position and life to worry about, and he had the creeping suspicion that Gohan would become a major threat if he were cultivated properly. Thus, he had to carry out his extermination.

But Cooler and King Cold didn't need to know that.

All that mattered was that there was one less threat to his life, and as long as the plot was covered up properly, he would be in no trouble. Besides, who the hell was Cooler to get on his case about it anyway? He had plenty of schemes like this going on himself, but _Frieza_ sure as hell didn't care whether or not they were against the rules.

_This is why I hate the concept of family so much…_

Frieza irritably grunted as his ship drew in closer on a planet of fighters who had been trying to resist his army lately. He had pushed the case to the side, deeming it trivial in the grand scheme of things, but _of course_ Cooler wouldn't shut the hell up about it, so now he was having to take time out of his day to convert yet another ragtag bunch of hapless warriors into beautiful fireworks. The lizard tyrant sighed in boredom. Life as a galactic emperor was so damn _humdrum_ sometimes.

Just then, Zarbon burst into his room. He was panting as if his life depended on it, frantically heaving for air. Frieza looked over his shoulder at his right-hand man, raising a brow in curiosity over his exasperated disposition. "What is it, Zarbon?" Frieza asked with disinterest, turning his head back around.

"Lord Frieza," Zarbon said, trying to catch his breath, "Our secret team of technicians has been monitoring Dodoria and Gohan's fight on Gyoza…"

"And…?"

"D-Dodoria has been killed, sir…" Zarbon bleakly informed, flinching in preparation for Frieza's assuredly explosive reaction.

Frieza offered no verbal response. However, the glass he was holding in his left hand promptly shattered into little pieces, allowing his wine to spill to the floor. Zarbon swallowed heavily in his throat, not having a clue how to gauge Frieza's reaction to the news.

"Surely, there is some sort of mistake," Frieza coolly replied, his voice lowering in tone. It was deceptively calm.

Zarbon shook his head. "N-no, sire. According to the power meters, Son Gohan's power level skyrocketed, and then..." Zarbon's voice trailed off. He was trying to hide his panic in the presence of Frieza, but he was doing a deplorable job at it. "…Dodoria's promptly disappeared."

"What was it?"

Zarbon blinked in confusion. "Wha-"

"The boy's power level!" Frieza snapped, his voice dangerously heightening into a shrill shriek.

Zarbon lowered his head and stared at the floor, and then took a deep breath. "45,000."

"Can you repeat that, Zarbon?"

"Forty-five thousand, Lord Frieza," Zarbon stammered, articulating his words carefully so as not to upset his superior.

"45,000…" Frieza repeated, falling into thought. Frieza slowly stepped out of his floating chair and turned so he was staring at the wall on the far left. His hands were clasped behind him, and from the onset, he appeared to be perfectly calm. However, his tail was waving back and forth behind him at a frantic pace. This was getting absolutely _absurd_. The brat's power level was supposed to be only 19,000, yet it more than _doubled_ against his loyal soldier. Yes, this was precisely why he _tried_ to have him killed, but clearly that plan had failed. And now, he had a loose cannon Saiyan who was well aware that his life was in danger. And him rallying the full-blooded Saiyans with him was as sure as the rising of the sun…

Frieza suddenly smacked his tail against the floor, leaving a deep crack in it. These Saiyans were simply too powerful. The very last thing he had predicted happened, and now everything was going to fall apart. The Saiyans, with their limitless power were going to rebel. And what about his clan? They were surely going to discover what was really going on now, and…

Frieza furiously shook his head, showing an uncharacteristic level of nervousness that made Zarbon break into a cold sweat. Frieza never lost his cool like that. That wasn't the only thing that made the green alien nervous, however. 45,000 topped his power even in his monster form. How the hell was _he_ going to compete with that? He had done everything in his power to make Gohan's servitude a living hell; the half-Saiyan would assuredly go after him first.

Frieza took a deep breath, now smirking when rational thought returned to him. He didn't know why he had temporarily gotten so nervous; he nearly forgot just who in the hell he was! 45,000 power level or not, the Saiyans were still no match for the Ginyu Force. At worst, he was going to have to step in for himself, and he could turn all of those monkeys into space dust. And in such a case, he would be able to destroy them with the proper provocation, since they'd be committing treason. Oh, how things worked out in the end.

"What about the full-bloods? What are they up to?" Frieza asked, his voice regaining its signature quaintness.

"Oh, that's what I was also going to inform you of, Lord Frieza," Zarbon answered, still slightly nervous but relieved to see Frieza at ease. "It appears that they have abandoned their mission on Zoyia and are headed for Gyoza."

"Oh, really?" Frieza replied. He gave a sinister chuckle. These things just wrote themselves! With the Saiyans all grouped together, he could have them killed easily. The only thing that he hated was that he was going to have to find him another right hand man. Looks like Cui was going to get a promotion.

Frieza returned to his floating chair, giving Zarbon his back. "Well, it would appear that I made a mess," Frieza remarked, pointing to the pile of shattered glass lying over the puddle of spilled wine on the floor. "Zarbon, can you retrieve me another glass of wine?"

"Yes, Lord," Zarbon replied, bowing politely. He left the room.

Frieza observed the vacuum of space once more. He was going to send the Ginyu Force after the Saiyans, though he supposed he could put the case on the back burner at the moment. The monkeys were going to meet their untimely end, one way or another.

For now, he had a fireworks display to watch.

* * *

><p>Three space pods crashed into the rocky surface of planet Gyoza, leaving giant craters in their wake. From the pods came three warriors, Saiyans specifically – Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. They were already scoping the immediate area out for any sign of Gohan and Dodoria. Nappa and Raditz were running their scouters, but they were getting absolutely nothing. The gravity of this situation was starting to sink in – what if the fight was over already?<p>

Vegeta did an energy scan as he tried to sense something, _anything_, from Gohan. The Prince knew damn well that he was now living only on borrowed time, as he (correctly) deduced that Frieza was already of aware of his and his subordinate's abandonment of Planet Zoyia. But it didn't matter to him at all. What Frieza did to him was unforgivable, lying to him for virtually all of his life. He didn't care whether he lived or died, all he knew was that he was _done_.

Vegeta's head snapped up when he finally felt something. It was incredibly faint, but it was definitely there. He recognized it as Gohan's power level, though it was in resting and down to practically nothing. However, he couldn't feel Dodoria. He didn't know whether to be relieved or fearful of that.

"Over there!" Vegeta yelled out, pointing his arm out west. The urgency in his tone made Nappa and Raditz flinch slightly. "I can barely feel it, but it's him!"

Nappa and Raditz both raised confused eyebrows. Nappa floated towards Vegeta. "Wait, how the hell can you tell that without a scou-"

That was all he got out before Vegeta promptly punched him in the face, sending him spiraling to the ground. Dust burst around him when his large body landed.

"Just do as I fucking say, Nappa!" Vegeta snarled from above, his eyes filled with madness. "Now go and find Gohan, immediately!"

Nappa coughed a little bit but nodded affirmatively. He effortlessly stood back up and blasted off into the sky, flying in the direction Vegeta pointed out. Once Nappa was far off in the distance, Vegeta impatiently crossed his arms over his chest. He observed the terrain around him. The planet looked like a warzone, its surface littered with bodies and smoke trailing all over the place. There were piles of rocks that Vegeta assumed used to be cliffs before they were destroyed.

Vegeta hissed in irritation. Yeah, this planet was big and it'd probably take Nappa a while to go find Gohan _and_ come back, but he wished he'd hurry. They didn't have any time to waste – who knew who or what Frieza was planning on sending after him at the moment. For all he knew, Dodoria would come bursting out any second to destroy him. He was unconsciously biting at the fabric of the thumb of his glove as Raditz slowly approached him.

"What the hell are we going to do now?" Raditz nervously asked. Vegeta didn't respond, instead biting down on his glove harder.

Finally, after a few minutes, Vegeta responded. "I have no clue. All I know is, we're all dead men." Vegeta stopped biting his glove and spat at the ground down below, cursing his always horrible luck. He was filled with an ominous feeling, well aware of his impending doom. It felt eerie, knowing that every further second was just him riding things out. Raditz frowned and looked on down below.

Once Nappa was sure he had flown enough miles, he slowed his speed down, instead making sure to thoroughly inspect every inch of the area below him. As he drew further and further, the messier the landscape became. There was more smoke, more craters. Sure enough, if Gohan and Dodoria engaged in battle, it happened somewhere within this general area. He still wasn't seeing any sort of body lying anywhere close, however.

Nappa stopped when he found something that caught his eye. There was a good caving in the ground, though not deep or wide enough to be classified as a crater. However, it was _long_, spanning for what seemed to be endless miles. The bald Saiyan deduced that it was the result of a fierce blast. But who the hell had the power to generate something like _that_? Nappa looked in closer at the spot, when he finally found something that stood out. It was some sort of figure, sitting against a cliff. It was…

"Gohan!" Nappa exclaimed out loud.

With great speed, he flew down to the ground, although was alarmed when he stepped on something. He lifted his foot and looked down at whatever object it was. It looked like…an arm. It was pink, and covered in spikes. Nappa's eyes widened in realization; there was only one person he knew with an arm like that. Nappa's head snapped to the side, as he looked at the half-Saiyan that was lying unconscious against the cliff a few feet away from him.

_Don't tell me he did this…did he actually win?_ He thought in disbelief. Nappa stepped closer to Gohan, studying his appearance. He looked completely thrashed. His black body suit had several tears, his armor was battered, and his face was a mess of bruises and blood. His jaw was badly swollen and discolored as well. He bent down and placed his enormous hand on Gohan's neck, checking for a pulse. It was very low, but sure enough it was there. He was alive, just as Vegeta said.

Nappa shook his head in admiration. The severed pink arm left no mistake: Gohan had defeated Dodoria in battle, although it was obviously a narrow victory. He didn't know how the hell he did it, and frankly he didn't care. All he knew was that Gohan was alive and well, and had proven for the umpteenth time that he was one tough son of a bitch. Nappa remembered Bardock, Raditz's father and Gohan's grandfather. He could never wrap his head around it, but the low-class warrior had risen in power at an unfathomable rate, almost rivaling King Vegeta himself by the time the Saiyans were wiped out. Although Raditz and Kakarot were pathetic, Gohan had done the man proud.

Nappa gingerly picked Gohan up and slung him over his shoulder. He took off into the air, flying back to where Vegeta and Raditz were waiting. However, as he flew, he settled his eyes on another crater. He stopped and observed it, descending a bit to get a better look. In the middle of the crater was a space pod – Dodoria's! They'd be able to get Gohan off of the planet.

With his unoccupied hand, Nappa pressed a button on his scouter. "Vegeta, Raditz! Come here, quick! I found another space pod!"

"Did you find Gohan?" Vegeta asked through the device.

"Yeah; he's knocked out but he's alive," Nappa replied.

Nappa overheard a deep sigh of relief. "Good," Vegeta replied. "We'll be there soon."

Nappa pressed the button to end the transmission and descended to the ground, walking closer to the crater the pod had left. Soon enough, Vegeta and Raditz had arrived. They both looked at the boy Nappa was carrying on his shoulder, confirming he was alive.

"Any sign of Dodoria?" Vegeta inquired.

"Well, if you count a dismembered arm, then yeah," Nappa said with a snicker.

Raditz's jaw sank while Vegeta simply looked at Nappa with wide eyes as if he had just told him that Frieza was secretly in love with him. "Wait…repeat that…?" he warily asked.

Nappa laughed again. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure the brat took that fat bastard out. No idea how he did it, but he did."

Vegeta shook his head and cracked a smirk. "That little shit really is something else…" he mused out loud through a growing laughter.

"Where are we going now?" Raditz asked, doing a terrible job at keeping his grin concealed.

Vegeta's face became serious again as he fell into thought. "We have to get the boy healed before we take any action. We'll go to one of Frieza's planets and kill every soldier there."

"And from there…?"

A muscle in Vegeta's jaw flexed. "…I don't know."

Raditz frowned, figuring that would be Vegeta's response. They really were completely screwed. Vegeta pulled out a device from underneath his armor and pressed a few buttons on it. Within minutes, all three of the Saiyans' space pods flew into the area, landing gingerly on the ground.

"Nappa," Vegeta instructed, turning to his longtime ally, "Get Gohan in Dodoria's pod and input the coordinates for Planet Frieza No. 64. And make sure you turn on the life support system. You _do_ remember the coordinates, right?"

Nappa nodded. "Correct."

"Alright, get a move on…" Vegeta ordered as he turned to his space pod and pressed the button on the side to open the door. He sat into the cramped space and folded his arms over his chest, drumming his finger against the opposing forearm. Once he saw Nappa departing from Gohan's pod, he closed the door to his and input the landing coordinates. The pod soon blasted up off of the planet. Vegeta mulled over his options, trying to figure out some sort of course of action, but drawing a blank as to _what_.

All signs pointed to him having to engage in a fight to the death.

* * *

><p>"From the reports Zarbon has told me, their pods are headed towards Planet No. 63. Keep in mind, the boy can go as high as 45,000, so do not underestimate him, lest he catch you all off guard."<p>

"Understood, Lord Frieza. What about the rest of the Saiyans?"

Frieza raised one hand to his chin, falling into thought. He lifted his other hand and pointed his index finger, a bright yellow energy forming around it. "Oh, you can kill Nappa and Raditz. But send Vegeta to me. I want to have some fun with my dear, precious Prince before he dies," he answered, a devilish grin forming on his face.

"Got it. We won't disappoint you, Lord Frieza."

Frieza chuckled. "Why of course you won't, Captain Ginyu." Frieza pressed the button on his scouter to end his transmission.

The grin on his face grew as he looked at the large, red planet hundreds of feet below him. As he leaned back in his floating chair, the yellow light of energy glowing at his fingertip grew exponentially in size, exploding into a massive ball that resembled a supernova. With a swipe of the arm, Frieza fired the horrific ball of light at the planet. He licked his lips in excitement as the planet exploded into millions of pieces, flashing red and orange lights all over.

"Ah, such gorgeous fireworks indeed…"

Frieza turned around in his chair and headed back into his ship, floating down the hole in the roof. Once he was back at floor level, he pressed a button on the wall behind him to shut the opening in the roof, thoroughly satisfied with how his day had gone so far. Sure, there had been a minor setback in his plan for Gohan's execution, but it was just a mere delay.

Zarbon stepped back into the room. "Is the plan set, Lord Frieza?"

Frieza nodded. "Indeed. The Ginyu Force is headed to Planet Frieza No. 63 as we speak."

Zarbon maliciously smirked. "Excellent," he commended as he handed Frieza yet another wine glass.

Frieza grabbed the glass and took a sip, grinning like a child upon tasting the drink. "Ah, delicious! You know, Zarbon, this whole ordeal has to be some sort of divine intervention."

Zarbon looked at his superior with curiosity. "What do you mean, Frieza?"

Frieza took another sip. "Well, like I said before, it has been 32 years to the day since I destroyed Planet Vegeta. Give or take a few details, this has been going strikingly similar to what occurred that day. It's almost like a remake of a play. You have the tenacious monkey with an astounding growth threshold, although this time the role is taken on by the grandson of the original actor."

Frieza floated forward in his chair, fixing himself in the middle of his throne room while Zarbon listened to his account with interest. "Then, the Royal Saiyan, this time the proud prince rather than the King, scraps together a _pathetic_ effort to stop my plot."

Frieza gave a bone chilling smirk, his eyes darkening. "And of course, they are all exterminated in the end."

Zarbon snickered. "You can't write scripts this good."

"Agreed. Though there is still one Saiyan left, if he hasn't become a threat yet in these past eight years, then I doubt he ever will," Frieza mused out loud.

Zarbon raised an eyebrow. "Another Saiyan; what do you mean?" His eyes widened in realization. "Oh yes, the brat's father. Are you sure we should just let him remain alive?"

Frieza dismissively waved his hand. "Come now, Zarbon. He is nothing to worry about."

* * *

><p>As Gohan's eyes slowly opened, he could feel the ice cold solution his body was submerged in. He recognized that fluid after taking hundreds, if not thousands of trips to such a place over the years. It was to his shock that he was even breathing at all. The last thing he remembered was breaking himself out of Dodoria's grip, but everything after that was a blur. As he shuffled through his memories of the past few hours, his anger rose. Frieza's betrayal had incensed him. He yanked the breathing mask off of his face.<p>

Then, he fired an explosive Ki blast right at the glass before him, shattering it to pieces as the liquid solution spilled out onto the floor. Gohan stood straight up and began walking out of the chamber, examining his body. Save for the scars that had been permanently engraved in his skin, he was completely clean, free of the bruises from his brutal war with Dodoria. He stared deeply at his palms; he could feel new power as a result of his healing brimming within him. A smirk began to spread over his face. He was relishing in the newfound strength and its possibilities.

He raised his Ki around him, submerging himself in a bright glow to dry off his skin. Pacing around the room, Gohan explored his options as to what course of action to take next. He was sure that Frieza was coming up with new ways to attack him. He was practically a moving target at this point. If Frieza sent Zarbon after him, he was sure he could dispose of him easily. But what if he sent the Ginyu Force? Or even worse, Avo and Cado?

Gohan suddenly gasped. What if they were the ones who brought him here in the first place?

Gohan immediately tensed up, crouching as he approached the door. He didn't care that he was stark naked at the moment; if he had to fight he was sure as hell going to do it. He may have been as good as dead at this point, but as he had continually told himself before, he was going out with a fight.

The half-Saiyan could hear footsteps rapidly approaching the medical room he was in. Clenching his fists tightly, Gohan crouched into the fighting stance he had taken on for years. The steps were coming closer…

"So I see you're finally awake."

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief and stood upright again. "You scared the shit out of me, Raditz!"

The long haired Saiyan standing at the doorway and carrying a fresh set of armor, gloves, boots, and black bodysuit in his hand broke out into loud laughter, making Gohan frown in confusion. "What the hell is so funny, exactly?"

"You were really going to fight with your balls hanging out?" he crudely joked.

Gohan's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as he folded his arms over his bare chest. "Whatever," he scoffed before walking up to his uncle and taking the uniform out of his hands. He began quickly getting dressed, knowing he had no time to waste.

"So, what's been going on, lately?" Gohan asked as he slid his black tights on.

"Vegeta overheard Frieza talking about the plan to kill you over his scouter," Raditz reported. "We dropped our purge and fled over to where you were, but you had already killed Dodoria by the time we got there. We used Dodoria's left over pod to bring you with us here."

Gohan grunted and tugged his armor over his head, having already put his long-sleeved top on. "I see…any other developments?"

"We really don't know," Raditz replied with a frown. His features visibly tensed up as he continued. "But realistically, we're likely as good as dead as you are."

Gohan slid his last glove on and took the blue scouter Raditz handed him. "So I guess we better get the hell out of here quickly," he concluded.

"Not like it matters; Frieza can track us wherever we go with our space pods," a familiar gruff voice said from the doorway only a few feet behind Raditz. The low-class Saiyan turned around and gave Vegeta an acknowledging nod, and Gohan did the same. "Face it, we're all screwed."

Gohan scowled as he slid his scouter over his ear. He just couldn't accept that this was it. Vegeta was right; it didn't matter how much they fled, Frieza would find them some way. The Saiyans were all essentially dead men walking. But there had to be _some way_ for them to be on the receiving end of a wild goose chase while still having their survival at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Some place in the universe for them to go where they could hide and get stronger, and continue to flee.

That was when a sudden light bulb went off in Gohan's head.

He ran his hands through his hair as he started digging deep into the recesses of his memories. He remembered the moment when Raditz kidnapped him as clear as day, even though it happened so long ago and he was so young. Who would ever forget the day where their life flipped upside down, after all? Faint memories of what little time he spent on Earth, his former home, began flooding his head. In particular, he remembered the yellow tunic he always wore, and the red top hat that completed his look. But there was one other thing, an accessory on top of that hat. He could remember it clearly…an orange orb…with four red stars on it…

_Gohan protectively clung to his father's orange Gi as they traveled through the bright, blue sky on the Flying Nimbus. It had been a fun day for the three year old, as Goku took him out to the forest. Even though a lot of the animals were really scary, it was reassuring to have the strongest guy in the world protecting him, and even being friendly with the animals! Goku grabbed Gohan by both of his shoulders._

_"Brace yourself, Gohan!" he yelled._

_In an instant, the Nimbus cloud shifted downwards and descended to the vast array of trees down below. Though Gohan flinched at first, he soon found himself laughing excitedly at the great speed at which the puffy yellow cloud was travelling. The cloud came to a sudden stop once they were close to the ground, surrounded by hundreds of large trees._

_"Isn't this cool, Gohan?" Goku asked, ruffling his hand through Gohan's hair._

_"Yeah, this is neat!" came his enthusiastic reply._

_Goku effortlessly tossed Gohan onto his shoulder and hopped off of the Flying Nimbus. He walked around the forest, observing his surroundings closely. Suddenly, a saber-toothed tiger jumped out of the bushes. A startled Goku jumped back and Gohan planted his arms securely around his father's neck, terrified by the wild animal._

_Goku on the other hand, was cool about it. "Whoa, tiger dude, calm down a little bit! Me and my son were just walkin' around, that's all!"_

_The tiger growled at Goku, but stayed in the same spot it had been. Gohan bowed his head. "Y-yeah, sorry Mr. Tiger…!" he added._

_Goku laughed. "No need to be scared, Gohan, he's just defending his area."_

_Gohan weakly nodded as the tiger inched towards Goku and began sniffing all around him. He jumped up to get a whiff of Gohan, which made the three year old flinch. Goku merely laughed and tugged at Gohan's hair. The tiger dropped back down to the grass and growled again, albeit without the aggressive edge. He jumped back to the bushes from whence he came._

_"See, Gohan? No problems at all!" Goku said._

_"Y-yeah…"_

_Goku resumed his exploration of the forest, greeting all of the various critters that came his way. Gohan wasn't quite as scared of the squirrels and monkeys, but their sudden appearances managed to startle him every time. He figured the monkeys couldn't be that bad, though – they had tails just like him!_

_Goku came to a stop when he saw something high up on a tree branch that caught his interest. He lightly lifted Gohan off of his shoulders and effortlessly jumped up to the branch and dug his hand through the nest on the far end of it. He dropped back down to the grass, now extending his hand out to Gohan and putting what he had retrieved on display._

_In his palm was a bright orange ball, with four stars on it. Its mystical look captured Gohan's interest immediately, as he reached out his hand to touch it. "Whoa…that's so cool…"_

_"This is a Dragon Ball, Gohan!" Goku explained._

_"Dr-dragon Ball…?"_

_"Yup! There are seven of them, and when you collect them all, you get any wish you desire! This is the four-star ball, and it's very special to me. It's a memento of my grandpa."_

_Gohan absently-mindedly nodded, instead mulling over what Goku had told him about the ball. Any wish you wanted, that was…_

…exactly what Gohan needed. Yes, that was it: the Dragon Balls! Gohan grinned as a world of possibilities came to him. He turned his attention back to his comrades. "There is…one way…"

Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa, who had just arrived, looked at Gohan with interest. "What exactly do you mean, kid?" Raditz asked.

"There are these things on Earth, my former home planet, called _Dragon Balls_. There are seven in all," Gohan explained, trying to control the excitement in his voice, "And when you gather them together, a Dragon comes out that will grant you _any wish_."

The three elder Saiyan's jaws all sank, their minds running through all of the things they could do with the ability to get a wish granted. They could have anything at their disposal to secure their chances of defeating Frieza. For the first time in how long Vegeta could remember, things were actually going his way for once.

Vegeta shook his head, still blown away from what Gohan had told him. _Any wish I desire…_ Vegeta said to himself, licking his lips with anticipation. "I've decided it: we will wish for immortality!"

Nappa grinned and cracked his knuckles, while Gohan and Raditz smirked. That was definitely a sound idea.

Vegeta's proud, devious smirk widened as he continued. "Just think about it – with immortality, we could engage Frieza and his men in battle any time we so please, allowing him to beat us to a pulp every time…but we would _never_ die. With each recovery we take from a battle, the higher our strength would grow! Frieza's defeat would be inevitable!"

Raditz and Nappa were grinning from ear to ear. It had been a long time since they saw that look on Vegeta's face. One of excitement, and ambition; that was the Prince they knew.

Vegeta raised a fist to punctuate his words. "And then, when the entire Cold Empire is defeated, we will rule the universe!"

"That's a great plan, but should _I_ really come with you guys? We will undoubtedly run into Kakarot, and he will likely try to rip me to fucking pieces the instant he sees me," Raditz asked, with a hint of nervousness in his tone.

Nappa laughed while Vegeta dismissively shook his head. "It is no matter, Raditz. We could probably destroy him, anyway."

Gohan listened to their conversation on how to kill his father with cold indifference, reflecting on everything that had happened today. The half-Saiyan was thankful he even remembered those damn things. Now, the Dragon Balls would be the ticket to Frieza's defeat.

"Alright, well, let's hurry up and get the hell outta here," Nappa said, cracking his neck.

Vegeta nodded and stepped forward, until he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Gohan, Raditz, and Nappa looked at Vegeta with confusion; he was trembling, his face looking absolutely petrified over something. They sure as hell couldn't tell anything was going on, so what was distressing the Prince so much right now?

_No…not now…Goddammit,_ Vegeta bleakly thought to himself. The other three couldn't sense it since they still relied on scouters, but he could feel it. Five enormous power levels, headed for the planet they were on at great speed. Vegeta swallowed heavily in his throat. Those power levels could only belong to one group…

"Vegeta, what's wrong?" Gohan nervously asked. He still couldn't feel anything peculiar. Vegeta was shaking his head like a madman.

"It's the Ginyu Force…they're coming!" Vegeta shouted.

All of the color drained from the faces of Raditz and Nappa, while Gohan tensed up. His heart was nearly pounding out of his chest, not wanting to believe that those bastards were dropping in just as he finally figured out a good plan. _Why can't something just go our way…just **once**…?_

Raditz opened his mouth to speak, but his throat went completely dry. Nappa was the one to finally speak up. "Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask…h-how can you detect power levels without a scouter?"

Vegeta didn't answer, his mind focused solely on how to combat those five terrifyingly strong fighters. Though Gohan could have possibly grown strong enough to at least handle Jeice, Burter, or Recoome, it was a risk Vegeta wasn't willing to take. They had to find a way to escape, and quick. Just as Vegeta was about to take a step forward, he heard multiple successive explosions outside. His heart sank to the depths of his stomach. That was them, alright.

Vegeta turned around, facing his subordinates with a panic and anger filling his eyes. "I _know_ you all heard that…they're here now!"

Gohan grit his teeth hard and clenched his fists at his side. The only thing they could do at this point was fight, even if it killed them. He wasn't quite sure he could pull of a miracle like he did against Dodoria, not against the Ginyu Force. Even that disgusting piece of shit Guldo could catch him off-guard with his psychic powers.

Vegeta furiously rubbed at his temple and let out several agitated hisses. "Alright, I'm going to ask this quick…do _any_ of you know how to control your power levels?" he asked in a frenzy, now cursing himself for leaving that technique hidden even from them for all of those years.

Nappa and Raditz both shook their heads, but Gohan nodded. "Yeah…I learned it on one of the planets I was given during the survival mission. A few guys caught me off guard with it and I figured it'd be a useful technique, so I practiced it."

Vegeta grunted. That was at least _something_. He was about to open his mouth to speak, until he heard a few faint voices from a great distance.

"Man, I'm pissed. Frieza gave us the call to dispose of these monkeys right in the middle of _Severly Hills, 872XY!_ Ringo was just about to come out of the closet!" a raspy, high pitched voice whined.

"Yeah, I hear ya. Let's just take care o' these wankers quickly," another voice replied, his accent thick.

"Dammit!" Vegeta exclaimed. He motioned for the other three Saiyans to move to the far left end of the room. He backed himself against the wall and poked his head out of the doorway. He couldn't see any of the warriors in his line of sight, but he could feel all of their power levels approaching. Time was running out fast.

Doing the only thing he thought would make sense, Vegeta suddenly fired a strong Ki blast straight down the right side of the he hallway. The blast hit a door at the end of the hall, triggering a large explosion. The smoke filled the hall very quickly, as Vegeta turned to his left and fired another blast in that direction, meeting the same results. He could hear the sounds of irritated cursing.

"Alright, we have a diversion, but it's still not good enough with all of us!" Vegeta said bleakly.

Gohan crouched down, but Nappa and Raditz merely stood there, deep in thought. They could both hardly believe what was happening; everything fell apart just when it seemed like they were looking up. _Somebody_ was going to lose their life today. They both exchanged a glance with each other, and gave nods of understanding.

"Don't worry about it, Vegeta…Raditz and I will hold them off," Nappa said, with a weak grin on his face as sweat trailed down his forehead.

Vegeta looked at his ally of virtually his entire life with shock and confusion. "What, are you two insane? You'll be torn apart; only Gohan and I stand some semblance of a chance!"

Raditz shook his head, a smirk forming on his face as well. "Yeah, yeah, we know. But look; you two _have_ to survive. You're the only ones who can sneak off with your power concealed. Besides, we'd never beat Frieza no matter what we could do, but _you two_…I know you'll do it one day, so you have to get the hell out of here alive."

"Raditz is right," Nappa added, "Both of you…you're the avengers. If not Vegeta, then Gohan; I really don't care who does it, but I know for sure that one of you will."

Vegeta simply stared at his two comrades blankly, until giving them a deep nod of respect. He flashed a lopsided smirk. "You stupid bastards…" he said in jest.

Gohan looked at Raditz apprehensively as Vegeta began running down the hall. It was so weird…his uncle was the man solely responsible for throwing him into this life. He took him away from his home and forced him to work for Frieza. He had every reason in the world to hate Raditz's guts, but he couldn't. Though he, like Vegeta and Nappa, constantly berated Raditz for his utter inability to catch up to them, he was still his partner, now. It was eerie…first he was treating Gohan like a monster…but now, here he was, putting his _life_ on the line for him.

Gohan gave them a weak smirk. Raditz returned the smirk, nodding as he did. Gohan raised his hand in salutation before running down the right side of the hall, closing his eyes to block himself from the rush of smoke filling the hall. As Gohan ran down, he fired another Ki blast to throw the Ginyus off once more. He was nearing the end of the base, and heard the loud sound of something breaking. It was from Vegeta, who had just rammed himself through the wall. Gohan heightened his speed, making sure to keep his power level hidden as he did. He jumped through the hole in the wall and continued his mad dash, ignoring the rush of cold air that hit him. Their space pods…they were so _close_…

Vegeta took a large dive to the line of space pods and pressed the button on the side of the one he reached like it was the last thing he would ever do. Gohan did the same. He stomped his foot impatiently. Those doors seemed to move so damn _slow_ during dire situations. The door finally opened, and Gohan jumped in, almost making the pod roll over with the force in which he hit the wall. The door closed as the automated voice went off.

_"Landing coordinates?"_

Gohan panicked. _Dammit, how am I supposed to know that?_ He pressed, nay_, smashed_ the button to activate the communications. "Vegeta, what the hell are Earth's coordinates?"

"Just yell the name of the planet and the pod will calculate the location for itself, you moron!" Vegeta harshly yelled, his voice coming through the intercom. Gohan nodded.

"EARTH!"

There was a pause, until the voice responded. _"Landing coordinates set."_

He was shot back in his seat as his pod finally took off, blasting off to the sky and leaving Nappa and Raditz behind. Gohan breathed a heavy sigh. This was _it_, his and Vegeta's last option for defeating Frieza. If everything went right, Gohan and Vegeta would be _unstoppable_. Gohan's lips curled into a smirk. He would have so much power, right at his fingertips, and he could _never_ die. However, he was very much aware of the person he was likely going to have to get through in order to even get the Dragon Balls. However, it didn't matter – _nothing_ was getting in the way of his destiny.

Gohan leaned back in his seat, finally relaxing for the first time in ages. He took a deep breath as he allowed himself to fall into sleep once more. There was a long road ahead of him, one that would determine the rest of his life.

For better or worse, he was going to meet his father again.


	12. Earth

Frieza had just returned from his flagship after destroying that planet and went back into the throne room of his current home base. He was drinking a celebratory glass of wine, thoroughly pleased with how the day had gone thus far. He was sure the Ginyu Force would be coming back at any minute with Vegeta. Frieza licked his lips, giddy with anticipation. He was going to make Vegeta _beg_ for him to put him out of his misery, and keep the look of terror on his face embedded in his memories.

And not only that, but he didn't even have to concern himself with covering up their deaths. Sure, Cooler (and only Cooler) would start blathering about _what_ exactly caused the Saiyans to display treasonous behavior, but that didn't matter. As long as he had the proper provocation, he was in the clear.

Just then, a transmission came in through his scouter. "Lord Frieza," came the voice of Captain Ginyu, with the slightest hint of nervousness in his tone, which Frieza chose not to comment on.

"Yes, Captain Ginyu?" Frieza replied, curious of the cause behind Ginyu's anxiety.

"We have a bit of bad news…"

Frieza's jaw flexed and he tightened his grip around his wine glass. "And just _what_, pray tell, do you have to tell me?" he asked, his voice deepening in tone. He didn't have time for yet another fuck up.

Captain Ginyu took a deep breath. "Well, you see, we arrived at Planet Frieza No. 63 as instructed, and the Saiyans were there, but…" Ginyu's voice trailed.

"Well? Out with it. _Speak_, Ginyu," Frieza pressed, with the slightest hint of a threat in his voice.

"The Saiyans started blowing things up to distract us and divert our attention. By the time we got to them, Nappa and Raditz attempted to fight us. They put up a good fight, but we soundly defeated them. But, then, Gohan and Vegeta…"

Frieza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What about them…?"

"Th-they escaped, sir."

For the second time that day, Frieza shattered his glass of wine. He didn't even realize that in the process of doing that, his sharp thumbnail punctured his index finger and drew blood. He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his building temper. "Now, Ginyu, I am going to need for you to explain to me very carefully, just _HOW_," Frieza violently smacked his tail against the back of his chair, "You and your men managed to let the two _most important _members of their crew slip past you. I am _very_ curious."

"Well, Lord Frieza, Nappa and Raditz's power levels were the only ones we could detect on our scouters. Vegeta and Gohan's levels had been present when we arrived but then completely disappeared within seconds," Captain Ginyu replied, doing his best not to sound nervous. "By the time we got to Nappa and Raditz, they were gone. They were able to conceal their power levels and escape us, my lord."

Frieza began scratching at the edge of his chair, ignoring the loud screeching sound he was producing from it as he thought about just how they were able to pull an escape like that off. Frieza hissed in irritation. These Saiyans were _far_ too fucking resilient. _All_ he wanted to do was have Son Gohan killed, yet his men had failed not once, but _twice_. He could practically hear Cooler's assuredly incessant laughter at his troubles. He was nearing the ends of his patience with this whole Saiyan execution case. How they had managed to duck him was beyond him, but it was seriously pissing him off.

"Whatever, Captain Ginyu; what has been done cannot be undone," Frieza hissed through his teeth, trying to remain as level-headed as possible.

"Is there anything else that you want us to do, Lord Frieza?" Captain Ginyu asked.

"No," Frieza replied, "I will find another way to deal with this. You and your crew will no longer be needed for this case."

"Yes, Lord Frieza."

Frieza pressed the button on his red scouter to end his transmission. There was only one more course of action he was going to take before having to step in for himself, which he absolutely _hated_ having to do. He pressed the button a few more times before he found the next person he was looking for.

"Zarbon?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza?" his second-in-command answered through the scouter.

"Report to me immediately."

Just five seconds later, the metallic doors to his throne room slid open, and from them came Zarbon. He eyed Frieza curiously, looking back and forth at the dangerous pace his tail had been waving at. The look in his Lord's eyes was murderous. Zarbon sighed, wondering what the hell could have _possibly_ gone wrong now. "Is there anything you needed, Lord Frieza?"

"Zarbon, do the technicians still have the tracking numbers of the Saiyans' space pods?" Frieza inquired.

"Yes, I believe so. Why do you need them? What's happened _now_?" Zarbon asked, curiosity filling his eyes.

"It would appear that Vegeta and Gohan have managed to escape," Frieza replied, his anger now clear in his voice as his scowl deepened.

Zarbon felt a solitary bead of sweat fall down his forehead. What in the hell were these Saiyans made of? "S-sire…don't tell me they actually _defeated_ the Gi-"

"No, don't be absurd," Frieza scoffed, cutting Zarbon short. "However, it appears that the two are able to conceal their power levels, allowing them to escape completely unnoticed."

Zarbon felt a knot in his stomach. Though he was sure he could take Vegeta with no problem, Gohan's power level of 45,000 didn't cease to absolutely haunt him. The longer the boy was allowed to exist, the more fearful for his own life he became. One thing was for sure – these Saiyans were a resourceful bunch, much more than he ever would have guessed.

"Now, I want you to get a hold of where exactly their space pods are at the moment. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good; now get a move on," Frieza demanded. Zarbon nearly sprinted out of the room as Frieza frowned thoughtfully. This whole deal had descended into a ridiculous wild goose chase. It absolutely irritated the lizard tyrant – he was going to make sure that those two monkeys thoroughly paid for troubling him so much with their blood. He was going to torture them, drawing out their deaths as long as he possibly could until all of his anger was subsided. His scowl contorted into a dark grin as the thoughts consumed him.

A few minutes later, Zarbon returned. "Lord Frieza, their space pods are currently in flight, though we have no clue as to what their destination is. They are headed in the direction of the north sector, at least."

Frieza eyed Zarbon curiously. "The north sector?" Frieza raised a hand to his chin as he thought about why they would be going _there_. The north sector was mostly uncharted territory for Frieza, filled with nothing but frontier planets that his men could conquer with ease, but he didn't particularly care to do anything. But what could be there for the Saiyans to retreat to? Frieza leaned forward in his chair, as there was an answer somewhere in his head, but he just couldn't quite place it.

The tyrant shrugged. _Oh well, that doesn't particularly matter…they're done for either way_.

"Alright, excellent," Frieza replied as he pressed the button on his scouter several times once more.

"Avo, Cado; I have a job for you two…"

* * *

><p>Arepa sighed, having just finished another training session in preparation for her next assignment. However, that was the last thing on her mind. By now, practically the whole base was buzzing about a certain group of Saiyans. She had heard several things, about treason, Dodoria being killed, and other things of that nature. It didn't really shock her that Frieza was ordering their execution; they all seemed like loose cannons to her. Especially Gohan.<p>

Arepa sighed. _"_Gohan…"

As much as she didn't want to admit it, it saddened her that Gohan was now a dead man. She had worked tirelessly for him to finally give her at least _some_ form of praise. She considered him a friend, and with him gone, she would feel empty.

But alas, business was business.

Arepa shook her head. It's not like it mattered – even if she wanted to help him, she'd be squashed like a common housefly. Her only purpose in life was being the best damn space pirate she could be. There were still planets to destroy, strength to gain, and accolades to acquire. She was going to continue doing her job as she always did.

Even if Gohan was no longer around to see it.

* * *

><p>Gohan finally awoke from his slumber as he felt the all too familiar feeling of his space pod crashing into the ground. He opened his eyes and yawned, stretching out his muscles as much as the cramped space would allow him. He was finally there. The trip had taken a considerable amount of time, at least a couple of months by Gohan's estimation. The door to his space pod opened and he slowly stepped out, and then floated out of the large crater his pod had formed. He looked around the planet. The blue sky…the green grass…it was all just as Gohan had remembered.<p>

And yet, he felt nothing. No sense of catharsis. No nostalgia. This was just a routine planet to him now. He had grown to no longer view Earth as his so-called home. In fact, being on the blue sphere was causing a feeling of revulsion to build in Gohan's stomach. His lips curled back; this place disgusted him. All it managed to do was remind him of what he used to be: a weak, spoiled toddler, one who allowed the earthlings to poison his head with their stupid mantras about morals.

Gohan now held no attachment to the planet he once called home.

From what he was observing, they were in a vast, grassy field that spanned for miles, one that looked eerily similar to the place Raditz first hauled him into his space pod at. The sun was shining bright and the temperatures were pretty mild, as there was a nice breeze that served to refresh Gohan; he was unconsciously becoming at ease with the atmosphere. The half-Saiyan looked off to his left, where Vegeta had been making his ascent to the sky as well.

Vegeta looked around, and then settled his eyes on Gohan. He cracked a smirk. "So this is Earth, huh? Some mudball this is."

Gohan snorted in amusement. "Yeah, this planet is nothing but weaklings."

Vegeta looked at Gohan studiously, taking note of his reaction to being on the planet. He was satisfied to see that he didn't start getting mushy over returning to his former home, instead going about with complete indifference. However, he felt a bit hypocritical – lord knows what he would do if he Planet Vegeta just reappeared out of nowhere. Vegeta irritably hissed, not wanting to entertain such a thought any further.

"Gohan, do you know of anyone here who you could possibly get information on how to get the Dragon Balls from?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan shrugged. "Not a clue; I just know that my dad had _one_, that was very important to him."

Vegeta grunted in response. "Very well, then. We'll just have to find your father, who's likely the strongest power level on this planet."

Vegeta closed his eyes in concentration as he began focusing on all of the energy signals around him. He was specifically reaching out for an especially large one. Most of the signals he was getting were absolutely pathetic. Some were a bit above average, but still absolute trash compared to him. This mudball was the very definition of a frontier planet!

Vegeta's eyes snapped back open when he felt not one, but _two_ power levels that significantly went above the rest. They were within great distance from each other; neither of them felt human, either. Rest assured, at least one of them was Kakarot.

"I'm sensing two considerable power levels in faraway locations," Vegeta informed. "One of them is most definitely your father…the other, I have no clue."

Gohan frowned, falling into thought. He tried to remember if there was anyone else on the planet that could even hold a candle to his father's strength. He recalled his father giving him tales of one of them. If he remembered correctly, he was supposed to be green, with antennae and pointy ears. From what Gohan was able to remember, his name was something ridiculous, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Gohan scratched his head as a variety of names flooded his thoughts, until he found one that stood out from the rest:

_Piccolo…_

"I suppose we'll split up," Gohan said. He pressed the button on his scouter to run a scan of power levels close by. The blue device beeped as it picked up one large one – it was at 2500. Gohan looked at the location coordinates of the power. "Well, the first one isn't too far from here. I'll go check it out, and you go check out the other one."

Vegeta smirked at Gohan. "I don't recall you being the one who gave the instructions around here."

"I don't recall you being stronger than me anymore," Gohan replied evenly.

They both stared at each other for a few moments, their lips both curled into amused smirks. There was a great sense of challenge flowing in their dark eyes, as they never forgot their hot-blooded Saiyan nature for a second. Vegeta grunted to break the mild standoff and released a burst of energy around him before blasting off into the sky. Gohan did the same.

* * *

><p>A puffy, yellow cloud traveled through the bright, blue sky with speed that exceeded even the fastest jets. It zipped past all of the startled birds and other animals that came its way, heading to a specific destination. It didn't seem to be all that far away now.<p>

Sitting atop the cloud was an orange gi-clad, black palm-tree haired warrior, known by most people as Son Goku. He had his typical goofy, light-hearted smile as he rode on top of his tried-and-true Flying Nimbus. His destination was the Capsule Corporation building in West City. Sure, he could've flown there on his own easily, but it was so much more fun on the Nimbus instead! His ears could pick up the sound of horns buzzing, cars driving by, people yelling for various reasons. Sure enough, Capsule Corp. wasn't too far ahead now.

The last eight years had been interesting ones for Goku, to say the very least. Gohan being taken away had crushed him, making him feel like an utter failure for his inability to protect his own son. He had no clue what his brother, Raditz, had done to Gohan, but what he did know was that he had to try and get him back _somehow_. He had Bulma build him a spaceship, one that was based off of the one he had landed on Earth with. However, it had all sorts of cool enhancements in it. It was a large, white, domed ship, complete with a room that allowed him to manipulate the gravity. He went to space with the intent of getting his son back, training relentlessly as he did so, as that way he would have been strong enough to take Raditz.

However, as his trip went on, the gravity of the situation settled in and hit the Saiyan hard. It was virtually impossible for Goku to scour a vast place that he had absolutely no idea about. He found himself on several planets where there was absolutely no sign of Gohan, or any Saiyan. He hadn't even an inkling of where Gohan could have been taken.

Finally, after a year, Goku decided it was best to return to Earth, and allow Shenron to assist him in his search. However, even the Dragon had limits, as Gohan's whereabouts couldn't be located because his Ki signal couldn't be found. Assuming he was dead, Goku tried to wish him back to life, but that couldn't be done either. Something terrible must have happened that basically completely cut Gohan off from the rest of the universe. The news had effectively killed all of Goku's aspirations for seeing his son back in his arms.

For the first time in his entire life, Son Goku had given up.

Though he continued his training, it was clear to Chi-Chi and everyone else around him that his heart just wasn't in it anymore. However, he was quickly sprung back into action when Piccolo finally decided to resume his schemes of world domination and challenged him once more. It was a fierce battle, but Goku came out triumphant. However, he once again spared Piccolo's life, for the sake of Kami. And not just that, but also because in fighting Piccolo, the Saiyan had rediscovered just _why_ he loved fighting. Having Piccolo around gave him a reason to keep going. To continue _living_.

Their wars had continued on and off since then. Goku never knew when Piccolo would strike again, but he always made sure he was prepared. Goku had finally come to accept the fact that his son was likely never coming back. Though he _never_ forgot Gohan, he began the slow process of moving on, learning to stop beating himself up for his absence.

Goku smiled when he saw the yellow, domed building come into his eyesight. There it was, Capsule Corporation. Goku hopped off of the Nimbus and onto the balcony of the building, where he was sensing his friends.

"Hey, guys!"

Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong all turned their heads, surprised to see their longtime friend drop in. There were several tables with plates of food set up, and Master Roshi was getting some food from the grill.

"Hey, Goku! You actually came!" Bulma said running up to the wild-haired warrior.

Krillin got up out of his seat and laughed, walking up to Goku and playfully slapping him on the shoulder. "And here I thought you were too busy training!"

Goku laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I _was_ training, but I got really hungry, so I figured why not come here?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "_Of course_ you only came here for the food," she chastised, though there was a bit of playfulness in her voice.

The group exchanged a good laugh before Master Roshi cleared his throat. "So, anyways, Goku; any news on Piccolo, lately?"

Goku nonchalantly shrugged as he began chowing down on a rather large sandwich. "Eh, nothing much. I felt his power level go way up the other day but he was probably training a special new attack or something," he replied through a mouthful of food, oblivious to the grimaces of his friends.

Yamcha laughed as he chowed down on a hot dog. "Y'know, I don't get why everybody's still worried about Piccolo anymore. You guys have been fighting so long you're practically friends now."

Goku raised a curious eyebrow. "You really think so?"

Krillin nodded in agreement with Yamcha. "Well, I wouldn't say friends, but he keeps coming up with all kinds of dumb reasons not to kill you when he gets an easy chance to."

Goku scratched the back of his head, giving a conceding nod to his bald friend. "Well…I guess so."

"Well _I_ think he's still a nasty freak," Bulma cut in, her lips curling back in revulsion just over thinking of him. "Don't go thinking you can start trusting him nowadays, guys!"

Master Roshi slowly stood up from his chair and walked over the blue-haired genius. "Now, now, Bulma, it's not that big of a deal," he pressed. He placed his hand on Bulma's back, directing her to one of the tables. "Here, have a drink to cool yourself off with."

Of course, his hand slid much lower than it should have been.

Bulma glared down at the lecherous old man, her eyes filled with a fire that couldn't be harnessed by the darkest depths of hell. "YOU, STUPID, DIRTY OLD MAN!"

Master Roshi reached his hands out and tried to laugh to ease her temper, but that didn't save him from the slap that rocked him right across the face. Bulma dusted her hands off while the rest of the group laughed at the age-old scene. "You idiot…you'll never change, will you?"

Goku's laughter came to an abrupt stop, however, when his senses picked something up that was huge. In a flash, his expression became very serious as he looked up at the sky. "Do you all feel that…? It's a Ki, and a _big_ one."

Krillin and Yamcha stood up from their chairs, walking to where Goku was and looking up in the same direction. Bulma looked at the three with concern. "It's not Piccolo, is it?"

Goku shook his head, his brows furrowing together in concentration as the large power drew in closer. There was something about it that he couldn't quite put his finger on that made him very tense. "No…it's bigger than his…I've never felt anybody so powerful before."

Krillin began nervously stammering. "H-holy crap…this guy really is strong!"

Goku narrowed his eyes, focusing on the sky above. He could see a figure closing in at a great speed. It was just a shot in the dark, but Goku was almost 100% sure that whoever possessed this outrageous Ki was coming for him.

The man came in closer, finally stopping mere feet away from the balcony they were standing on. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, surveying the area. Goku's eyes widened upon seeing the mysterious fighter. That armor…it was a different color, white & gold instead of black & brown, but he'd never forget that design anywhere. He was wearing a blue bodysuit beneath it, and a furry, brown appendage was wrapped securely around his waist. The mysterious warrior's hair stood straight up like a flame, and was dark as the night. His eyes were very cold, and menacing.

Oolong was cowering behind his chair while Puar protectively clung to Yamcha's shirt. Yamcha was frozen with fear upon seeing the warrior, while Krillin at least _attempted_ to look tough, though he was doing a miserable job at it. Bulma ran straight to Yamcha, clinging to his arm as she looked at the warrior with terror.

Goku merely stared the warrior down, slightly intimidated by his dark gaze, but remaining firm. For the second time in his life, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. A fire was building in his chest…everything about the man was so similar to _Raditz_.

The warrior finally spoke up. "Ah, so _you're _Kakarot."

All eyes turned to Goku, who could only look at the warrior with his jaw gaped open and his eyes widened in bewilderment. "K-Kakarot…?"

The warrior gave a dark chuckle, one that sent chills down Goku's spine. "Ah, fancy I should run into you. I suppose Raditz never told you who I am all those years ago. Well, allow me to introduce myself – I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans!"

The group of friends gave Vegeta similar aghast looks. Particularly Roshi, Bulma, Krillin, and Goku, who remembered that day eight years ago clearly. _Especially_ Goku. _Saiyan_…he was one of _them_; one of Raditz's allies.

Vegeta observed the reactions of the earthlings below, snorting in amusement over the panic filling each and every one of their eyes. Being feared across the universe _never_ got old for the Saiyan Prince. In particular, he observed Goku, who was looking like he was preparing for battle. He was the spitting image of his father, Bardock.

"What the hell are you doing here for, Saiyan?" Goku snarled, rife with anger upon seeing one of the men…the _barbarian_…that was among his villainous older brother's affiliates.

Goku's friends all exchanged startled glances with each other. It wasn't every day that Goku spoke with such venom, especially without being provoked to a _considerable_ degree. They had forgotten about the devastating hand the Saiyans had dealt him.

Vegeta pulled his head back and laughed boisterously. The madness-filled cackles rang through the air, only further igniting Goku's rage. "Well now, it looks like I've done something to anger you! How _ever_ could that be?"

Goku growled low in his throat and took a menacing step forward, now itching for a fight. "Just tell me why you've come! And just what happened to my son?"

"Why the hostility, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, feigning innocence. "You should be honored to be in the presence of an elite!"

Goku fixed Vegeta with a deadly glare. He turned around and looked at his bewildered friends, who were watching their exchange. Goku knew that his rage was just going to lead to him putting them in danger. He turned his attention back to the Saiyan Prince. "How about we do this somewhere else?"

Vegeta snickered. "By all means, Kakarot. Lead the way."

Goku jumped off of the balcony and flew high into the sky, and Vegeta soon followed him, his malicious grin growing. He was well aware that this was likely going to end with a fight.

* * *

><p>Gohan continued his flight, finally stopping when he found the man he was looking for. He was green with pointy ears, and wearing a purple gi &amp; pants, a white turban, and a large, white cape. And judging from the defensive stance he was crouched in and the scowl present on his face, he was already well aware of his approach. Gohan snickered and descended to the ground, standing just a few feet across from the man he could only assume was Piccolo.<p>

"And just who in the hell are _you_?" Piccolo sneered, fixing Gohan with an intense glare.

Gohan's laughter grew. He gave Piccolo a sideways glance, checking his appearance studiously. "Ah…so you're the big, bad Piccolo man, aren't you?"

Piccolo's scowl gave way to a look of surprise. "What…? How do you know my name?"

The boy instead continued laughing, which only served to further irritate Piccolo. He let out an irritated hiss as he looked at the kid from head-to-toe. The armor he was wearing, it was just like that of the Saiyan warrior who had dared challenge him and belittle his power all of those years ago. The one that drove him to the sickening act of _teaming up_ with Goku, even though that alliance was cut off prematurely when it turned out Goku's son was nowhere to be found.

Piccolo swallowed heavily in his throat as he could feel the sweat trickling down his head. There was something about the kid's appearance that unnerved him. He had long, spiky hair, just like that Saiyan, though the top of it was slightly similar to Goku's. Wrapped around his waist was a brown, furry, tail, indicating he was a Saiyan as well. But that wasn't it; it was the boy's face. Even though he had never encountered this kid before in his life, there was something about his face that looked familiar. That challenging grin that filled his features looked so much like the one of Son Goku. His eyes even had that same irregularity as his sworn rival. And his voice…it was so similar to Goku's when he was a child.

"Why don't you try to guess, Piccolo? Unless…you're too scared…?" The Saiyan challenged.

Had it not been for the turban he was wearing, the vein bulging in Piccolo's temple would have been very visible. Whoever this Saiyan was, he was starting to seriously piss him off. "Answer me: how do you know who I am?" he demanded, his patience wearing thin.

Gohan folded his arms over his chest. "I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that you don't know who I am, even though I always thought my hair, give or take the length, _somewhat_ resembled that of my…_father_."

Piccolo's eyes expanded in shock. He now knew just who this kid was – Son Goku's son, Gohan! But how? He knew he had been kidnapped by that Saiyan who challenged him, and by the time he and Goku had arrived to wherever the Dragon Ball attached to his hat was located, he was gone. He still remembered that moment clearly…

"_He's down there!" Goku urgently yelled from atop his flying Nimbus as it spiraled down to grass below._

_Piccolo nodded and followed his flight, but he had an odd suspicion. Something wasn't right about this. He couldn't sense the outrageous Ki of that Saiyan warrior, nor could he sense the Ki of Goku's son. But the Dragon Radar at least indicated that the ball atop the boy's hat was still there. Piccolo grunted as he landed on the ground. Just as he suspected, nobody was there besides a few animals._

_Goku was running around at a hectic pace, looking for any sign of Gohan or his brother. "Gohan, daddy's here! Where are you?"_

_Piccolo was looking around as well. He was eager to make that Saiyan pay for taunting him. Nobody looked down on him like that and lived. However, he couldn't sense his Ki anywhere, not even on the planet. As Piccolo walked around, he realized he stepped on something very peculiar. He lifted his foot and saw a red top hat, with the four-star Dragon Ball on it. It was the same one that belonged to Gohan._

"_Goku, this is your boy's hat, isn't it?" Piccolo asked._

_Goku ran at him with speed Piccolo didn't even know he was capable of. His eyes were fixated on the hat just a few inches away from Piccolo's foot. "Y-yeah, it is…"_

"_But I don't sense him or Raditz anywhere," Piccolo bleakly said. He looked off to the side and saw a very large crater, one that he could only assume was created by whatever Raditz had landed in. Piccolo flew a few feet in the air while Goku continued staring at the hat and Dragon Ball. The crater was very deep, and smoke was still coming from the center._

_And there was no spaceship to be found._

_Piccolo flew back down to the grass, his features indifferent as he came to the most logical conclusion. "Goku…it looks like the Saiyan took your son and left this planet entirely."_

_Goku simply stared at Piccolo. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his eyes were filled with a sadness that made Piccolo's eye twitch. As he continued looking at Piccolo, the trembling in his body increased. Piccolo scowled, figuring that Goku was slowly coming to grips with the fact that he was right._

_Goku finally fell to his knees, gripping at the fabric of his orange pants so hard he was tearing through them. He looked at the ground, his features etched with bewilderment. He let out a scream that hardly even sounded human and slammed both of his fists into the ground. The tremors in his body were constant as he remained fixed in his position. Piccolo leaned in to get a good look at Goku's face, and could see tears beginning to build in his eyes._

_Piccolo turned his head to the side and averted his gaze. He had never seen Goku look so __**defeated**__ before. It was quite clear that he was absolutely devastated by the fact that his son was gone; who knew when, or even if, he would ever be brought back. Piccolo didn't care about the brat's fate in the least bit, but seeing Goku so overcome with grief was unnerving. Piccolo's eyes narrowed in agitation._

_Piccolo turned his head back to the bewildered Saiyan. His fingers started twitching as he realized just how vulnerable Goku was right now. Though the attack he had been working on for the last couple of years was still far from mastered, it would be _so easy_ to use it on Goku now while he was stricken with grief. All he had to do was charge the attack and fire, and the son of a bitch would be out of his [nonexistent] hair forever. The world would be his for the taking._

_Piccolo's shuddering fingers balled up into a fist. The Demon Clansman shook his head in irritation. No…not now. He was still bitter over his fight with Goku at the World Martial Arts Tournament five years prior. He wanted to prove to himself that he could completely defeat Goku in battle, that way he would regain his pride. It didn't take a genius to tell that Goku was in absolutely no mood to fight at the moment. Piccolo couldn't kill Goku right now, when it was entirely too easy._

_Piccolo instead fixed his rival with a malicious grin. "How pathetic, Son Goku! You couldn't even protect your own son!" Goku didn't react to his taunts, instead bleakly staring at the ground. That didn't deter Piccolo's verbal lambasting, however. "But don't worry, I won't try to kill you. I'll do it when you look less…_pathetic_…than you do now."_

_Ki exploded around Piccolo and he turned around. He offered Goku one last glance over his shoulder. "In due time…" He then flew off._

"So you're him…Son Gohan," Piccolo replied. He remembered seeing the kid when he was snooping in on Raditz and Goku's conversation on Roshi's island. He didn't look terribly different from how he did before, his hair still long and unkempt, and his skin still pale. He was predictably much taller than before, however, and his look was much more sinister. Even a complete simpleton could tell that he had been taken in by the Saiyans and become a space pirate like them. Piccolo snickered at the irony of the son of _Goku_ becoming a ruthless mass murderer.

Gohan chuckled. "So you finally figured it out, huh?"

Piccolo glared at Gohan. "So then, tell me. What have you come to this planet for? To join your father again?"

Gohan's expression took on a very stern form in contrast to the look of amusement he was carrying before. "I'm not here for something as ridiculous as that. I'm here for the Dragon Balls."

Piccolo looked at Gohan with great intrigue. "The Dragon Balls? What for?"

Gohan glared at Piccolo as he responded, "That's nothing for you to worry about," he growled. "Unless you can point me in the right direction as to where they are, you're useless to me."

"Well, sorry, I don't know where those godforsaken things are, so you can get out of my face before I get angry" he said with an amused snort.

Gohan exhaled through his nose in growing irritation. He crossed his arms over his armor and unwrapped his tail from his waist, which was now waving at a methodical pace from behind him. "Is that a threat, Piccolo?" He started to circle at a methodical pace as he stared Piccolo down.

Piccolo growled as he did the same thing. "It depends…I'd call it a warning, but if you piss me off even further than you already have, then make no mistake – I'll silence you permanently."

"I'd like to see you try," Gohan sneered, as he lowered his arms to his sides, already preparing himself for a fight.

"You may have heard stories about me from your fool of a father, but you have _no idea_ who I am, brat," Piccolo snarled, continuing his circling movement along with the half-breed. "A fight with me will be a fight to the death."

"Is that so…?" Gohan replied, coming to a stop. His tail was coiling and uncoiling from behind him, punctuating his violent anticipation.

Piccolo stopped as well as his fingers lightly twitched. _There's something about this kid…he's obviously holding back a great deal of his power. But to what extent…?_

Gohan was about to raise his hand to his scouter to inspect Piccolo's power level, but decided against it. He was starting to learn just how easy it was to be fooled by a reading, and he wasn't going to allow himself to fall for such a mistake. He made a mental note to ask Vegeta how to sense Ki without one of those devices later. He knew that Piccolo had always been his father's arch nemesis; he was one of the strongest fighters on this planet that was for sure. But Gohan couldn't place just _how_ much stronger he could have grown in eight years' time. The power level he detected was 2500, but the green fighter could easily shoot that up to something higher.

Gohan decided to take his chances. He squared his shoulders, ready to fight. Piccolo, figuring this would be a mere warm-up, left his cape and turban on as he crouched into a fighting stance.

"I hope you realize I won't be going easy on you," Gohan said with a smirk.

"Likewise," Piccolo replied evenly.

They both jumped and clashed in mid-air. They went into a staggeringly fast exchange of near-misses, both on the offensive. They appeared to be relatively even, but Gohan was just a step quicker in his attacks, catching Piccolo off-guard. The half-Saiyan swatted away a punch from Piccolo and phased out of sight. He reappeared behind the green warrior and connected a hard kick right into his spine.

Piccolo hit a nearby rock with considerable force, slightly caving into it. He was wincing in pain, completely startled by the force of Gohan's attack. It was just for a moment, but Gohan suddenly flared up his power solely for that kick. Piccolo had _never_ been hit that hard in his life, not even by Goku. Had his son surpassed him?

Gohan floated over to where he was laying, a maddening grin ever present on his face. "Well, I guess we found out who the better of the two was from that little exchange, huh?" he snorted, folding his arms across his chest. Piccolo growled as Gohan went on. "There's no point in me wasting my time with you, Piccolo; I have more important matters at hand. You'd be smart not to go after me." Gohan pressed the button on his scouter, and detected two large power levels that were close to each other. It must have been his father and Vegeta. Gohan flew off into the direction of the two power levels.

Piccolo spat at the ground as he gingerly floated away from the caving of the cliff, trembling as he did. He cursed his luck. He was beginning to think that he was just cursed to be eternally humiliated by Goku and his various family members.

* * *

><p>Goku and Vegeta were in flight, looking for a suitable location to stop at. Goku found himself glancing at Vegeta out of the corner of his eye almost every 5 seconds, it seemed like. While he understood that he was a Saiyan, just like the flame-haired Prince, he thought that they were all monsters. They flipped his life upside down. Though Vegeta had been here by himself, Goku could feel another Ki way off in the distance. He figured that it was another one of his allies. Yet for some reason, there was something different about it that he couldn't quite put his finger on.<p>

Little did Goku know, Vegeta had been doing just as he did, glancing at him whenever he got the chance. The Ki that he was sensing from Goku was strong; though he didn't have anything numerical to base it on, he could tell that it put the power level of 334 that Raditz informed him of to complete shame. It had only been eight years since that day – how in the hell could he, a low-class fighter, have gotten so much stronger than that? And not only that, but Vegeta could just tell he was hiding more under the surface.

Goku finally found a spot, one that was significantly far away from Capsule Corp, and landed. It was a very cold area, filled with vast mountains. The ground was barren, nothing but rock. He descended to a vacant part of the area and Vegeta followed. They both landed, standing a few feet across from the other.

And ominous gust whirled through the air as the two Saiyans stared each other down. Now that he could see Vegeta standing, he could study his appearance more closely. He was actually pretty diminutive in stature, as even with his flame-like hair he was pretty short. But that didn't deter the intimidating aura he was getting from the man. The Ki he was sensing from his was absolutely tremendous. Vegeta was directing a hard, cold gaze at him, but Goku did the same, standing firm.

Vegeta smirked. He had to admit, Goku would actually be a respectable warrior had he not been a low-class soldier like his brother. His powerful son notwithstanding, he had no reason to see him as anything other than trash. The prince doubted that even his significantly improved power could still match up to _his._

However, a fight wasn't the reason why he was here. There were much more important things to deal with.

Goku finally broke the standoff. "Well, are we going to just stare at each other all day? What are you here for? And while you're at it, what happened to my son after my brother took him away?" Goku seethed, his eyes flaring up again.

"Your son is of no concern," Vegeta said, carefully pushing away the subject of Gohan as much as he could. "I am here for another purpose."

"And just what is that?" Goku challenged. Almost unconsciously, he stepped to the side to circle Vegeta.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at Goku's seeming eagerness to engage in a fight with him. Raditz had been right about one thing – he wouldn't have left this planet alive if he came with them. Goku was directing all of the resentment he felt towards Raditz at Vegeta. "Itching to get into a fight, are we?"

"If you haven't figured it out, I didn't exactly _appreciate_ what your partner did to my son," Goku snidely hissed, watching intently as Vegeta mirrored his circling walk. "I don't think it's a coincidence that another one of you Saiyans would come dropping in here unless it had something to do with me, either."

Vegeta's upper lip curled back in disgust. "Kakarot, you are nothing but a lousy traitor," he sneered, referring to the contempt with which Goku spoke of the Saiyans, his own people. "You've forgotten what it means to be a Saiyan. You've allowed the fools on this planet to turn you into a weak clown."

Goku growled venomously at Vegeta. "Don't call me by that name! I am Son Goku, not _Kakarot!_" he sneered, lacing that last word with disgust in his tone. "I'm a Saiyan by blood only; like I said to Raditz, I could _never_ be part of a gang of ruthless space pirates like you!" Goku clenched his right fist tightly at his side as he continued. "You took my son away from me, and I will _never_ forgive you for that."

A vein in Vegeta's head pulsed, as he was now starting to get genuinely pissed off. "You dare spit on your heritage, third-class?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"What does it sound like I'm doing?" Goku replied, matching Vegeta in tone.

Vegeta broke out into laughter, but there was no humor in it. "I see, now, Kakarot. I was thinking of maybe allowing you to see the day I defeated Frieza, but every breath that a traitorous clown like you takes is an insult to the lineage of the Saiyan race. I will dispose of you…but _after _I force you to give me the information I need."

"Information? What do you mean?" Goku asked, his eyebrows arched.

Vegeta lifted his arm and pointed his finger at Goku's face. "The Dragon Balls. How exactly can I find them?"

Goku stopped walking and looked at Vegeta with a blank, surprised gaze. "D-dragon balls?"

"I did not stutter, Kakarot!" Vegeta impatiently barked, stomping his foot on the ground to punctuate the urgency in his voice. "Tell me how to find the balls at once!"

"Wait, how in the world do you know of the Dragon Balls?" Goku pressed, pushing the strong power level he was starting to feel approaching to the back of his head. "Who could have possibly told you about something like that?"

"Me."


	13. A Reunion of Sorts

Vegeta's ally dropped in from the sky and landed right next to him, giving Goku a hard stare. Goku looked at the warrior studiously; he was wearing a similar armor to Vegeta and was almost nearing the relatively diminutive Saiyan in height. From the looks of it, he was young. Goku's brows furrowed as he looked at the kid more studiously. Goku's chest tightened when he began connecting the dots in his head. The long, wild, spiky hair…the pale skin…the tail…it looked all _too_ familiar. The Earth raised Saiyan swallowed heavily in his throat as his expression became increasingly anxious. When he saw the guy that just joined him and Vegeta, Goku could only think of his innocent, four year-old son who was taken away from.

Goku's eyes widened and his jaw sank open, as a feeling of unease and realization crept up through him. _N-no…it couldn't be…it just couldn't…!_ he said to himself, as sweat began filling his forehead. The two Saiyans in front of him let out their own irritated hisses at Goku's silence, although the younger one seemed to be looking at him expectantly.

"Who…a-are you…?" Goku stuttered, his voice hoarse. He didn't want to believe what was seemingly slapping him in the face.

The half-Saiyan's lips curled back. "I think you already know who I am…" he began as his eyes narrowed, "_Father_."

Goku's blood ran cold and he was rendered utterly speechless. He could only gawk at the boy standing across from him, right next to the ruthless Saiyan Prince. That wasn't any typical Saiyan…it was his son, Gohan! The thoughts in Goku's head were reduced to a garbled, convoluted mess as he tried to rationalize what he was just told. His son, after eight long years, was finally back to him. The Saiyan felt a whirlwind of emotions that he had never felt before hit him all at once.

Goku shook his head in disbelief. His son had grown over the years, yet at the same time he looked so much the same. His hair was just as much of a mess as Chi-Chi would often complain about. Those facial features were matured, but still the ones he was always familiar with. But there was also something else about him that was different – something terrible. He was dressed the same as Vegeta and the other Saiyans. And his eyes; they no longer carried the joy and innocence that Goku once adored. They were instead cold, and empty, harboring the disposition of someone far beyond his years.

Goku's breath shortened as he started to come to grips with what he was witnessing. _H-he's become…one of them__, _Goku concluded. It was obvious from his appearance and his dark gaze that he was no longer happy little Son Gohan. He had allowed the Saiyans to take him in. Had he become a mass murderer like them?

Gohan's eye twitched as he looked at his father. He looked virtually the same as he remembered; same palm tree shaped hair, same orange gi with a blue undershirt, same turtle symbol. And yet, all Gohan could feel was numbness. He had long since cursed his father for being weak, and seeing him again for his own two eyes only further reminded the half-Saiyan of what he _used_ to be; the life that he had thrown away in favor of gaining power.

Vegeta was the one to finally break the tense silence. "Well now, are we just going to stand here and stare at each other all day?" he snickered, mockingly repeating Goku's earlier statement.

Goku snarled in Vegeta's direction before turning back to Gohan. He had so many things he wanted to find out, as suddenly his whole encounter with Vegeta was in the back of his mind. "Gohan…but how…? Why did you come back…?" he rambled, not having a clue of where to begin.

The earth raised Saiyan took a deep breath as he started finding his words. "Son, I thought you were dead. I…I don't even know how to express how relieved I am to see you back here…"

Gohan laughed, but it was a dark chuckle devoid of humor. "Dead? Well then, I guess you could say that the me that _you_ knew died a long time ago."

Goku felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Gohan, what do you mean? Please, don't tell me that you let people like _him_," he pointed his finger right at Vegeta without even taking his eyes off of his son, "Turn you into a heartless _monster_!"

Vegeta let out a feral growl and took a threatening step forward to the younger full-blooded. His tail was swinging around behind him at a menacing pace as he threatened, "You better watch how you refer to me, you tailless piece of third-class shit! Believe me, I will throw your head on a steak if you step out of line."

Gohan placed his arm over the fuming Saiyan prince's waist to restrain him and took a step in front of him, coming closer to Goku. "Now you listen to me, _father_," Gohan growled, lacing the last word with a venom that made Goku's stomach churn. "I'm no longer the weak, gullible fool that you tried to mold me into. I learned a long time ago that strength is the only thing that matters."

Goku clenched his fists tightly, trying to ignore how much his skin was crawling. "I just don't understand. _Why?_"

"Why? That's a dumb question," Gohan snarled. "I didn't want to become a miserable, soft-hearted mongrel like _you_. Look at you, trying to preach to me about how much of a monster we Saiyans are. You couldn't even keep your own damn son safe!"

"Gohan…"

Gohan fixed Goku with a maniacal smirk. "Oh, but don't worry, I'm not angry at you for that. In a way, I have to thank you for allowing me to realize the cold truth for myself." Gohan's eye twitched again, as he felt a bit uncomfortable. While it certainly was true that he was glad he discovered the ways of a warrior, there was another side of the coin. The things he experienced in Frieza's army unrelentingly haunted him. He felt pain he'd never have to carry on his shoulders if he had remained sheltered.

Vegeta watched the heated exchange from the sidelines, pleased to see how Gohan was handling it. He could tell just from the look on Goku's face that he was devastated to see that his son was crafted into the very thing he hated.

"Just listen to yourself, Gohan!" Goku shouted, his temper rising. "You just…you don't have to be like that!"

"Sorry, I'm not interested in hearing your little arguments," Gohan scoffed. "I'm not here for a family reunion. Vegeta and I came to this shithole of a planet for one reason and one reason only: the Dragon Balls."

"Why do you two need the Dragon Balls, then?" Goku asked, still coming to grips with what his son had become. "For what purpose?"

"It's simple, really. We want immortality," Vegeta replied. "Gohan here has informed me that there are seven magic balls on this planet that will grant one any wish he so desires. He acquired this information from _you_, so surely you can point us in the right direction as to where to find them."

"Immortality? What do you take me for?" Goku sneered. "Why would I let someone like you get your hands on something like that?"

"We don't have time for your bullshit, father!" Gohan barked. Goku flinched, uncomfortable with being snapped on like that by Gohan. He was used to being spoken to in such a way by Piccolo, but seeing it from his own son made Goku's skin crawl. "We need the Dragon Balls, _now_!"

"And just what would you do with something like immortality, huh?" Goku challenged.

Vegeta smirked. "I don't know, you tell me."

Goku hissed through his teeth in response. The grim uncertainty behind Vegeta's statement sent a shiver down Goku's spine.

Gohan impatiently growled, as he didn't have time for Vegeta's apparent desire to revel in his own villainy either. He marched forward, nearly knocking Vegeta over as he did so. "Look, our lives are in danger and that's our only option! A low class Saiyan like you won't be any help, so out with it! Where are the damn Dragon Balls?"

Goku shook his head and stood firm, even though he was overcome with a bitterness he had never felt in his life. "Danger or not, I'm not comfortable with the idea of people like you having eternal life."

Vegeta dangerously snarled, although Gohan merely stared blankly at Goku. The half-Saiyan took a deep breath. "Fine, so be it," he resolved, his voice dangerously calm. "But just know, I won't hesitate to fight you, my own father, for the Dragon Balls. And if it comes down to it, I'll kill every last human on this planet if need be."

Goku's eyes drifted to the ground, as nausea hit him over hearing his son speak such horrific threats. He still couldn't grasp how much he had changed. Was whatever system he was in _that_ horrible that it would turn such a bright, loving kid into a remorseless killer?

"Gohan, look. You said that you and Vegeta's lives were in danger. Of what? I can help you," Goku offered, genuinely. "You may be…_different_, now, but you're still my son. I'm willing to help you out if your life is at stake."

Gohan stepped back, as he felt a strange feeling swell up in his chest that he wasn't exactly comfortable with. The half-Saiyan had forgotten how much of a kind man his father was, and it was strangely a warm feeling. But Gohan was convinced that he had outgrown such emotions.

"The only way you can help us is by giving us the goddamned Dragon Balls!" Vegeta snapped, stepping in between the two. "Just spit it out already, unless you want this wasteland to serve as your grave!"

Gohan raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was growing frustrated with this whole conversation and the strange feelings it was bringing to him. "Look, father, it's like this," he began, shutting his eyes and keeping his fingers locked firmly on his nose, "The guy who rules over us, Frieza, is afraid of the power of the Saiyans and wants us killed. His power goes beyond all form of comprehension. We always planned on killing the son of a bitch, but we went about it by feigning obedience, purging planets as he asked, and growing stronger. But now that he's out to kill us, we only have one choice."

Gohan lowered his hand from his nose and looked his father straight in the eye. "Do you see now, father? We need the Dragon Balls so that Frieza will never be able to kill us, so that our defeat of him will be guaranteed."

Goku clamped down on his jaw tightly. He could see the barely contained desperation that filled his son's eyes. Whoever this monster was that ruled over Gohan and Vegeta had obviously done a good job at instilling fear in them. Gohan was right – they were out of options. But Goku still thought giving them something as powerful as immortality was dangerous on his end.

Vegeta lightly exhaled through his nose, as he didn't exactly care for how cordial Gohan was deciding to be, but figured that whatever tactic would get Goku to finally help them find the balls was welcome. "So, what's it going to be, Kakarot?" he impatiently asked.

Goku let out a long sigh before giving the two Saiyans a stern gaze. "I'm willing to help you two…but I can't give you the Dragon Balls. You two having immortality is dangerous." Goku grit his teeth uncomfortably. He felt bad knowing that he disappointed Gohan.

Vegeta gave Goku a look that spelled murder. _Nothing_ that low class clown could do would help him. Immortality was his only option; he would never again have to be Frieza's whipping boy. He wouldn't have to deal with Zarbon's constant taunts. He would never have to deal with the idiotic Ginyu Force, especially that grubby bastard, Guldo. Everything he ever wanted would be at his fingertips – _freedom._ And yet Goku outright refused to let him have it.

Gohan's jaw flexed. "Fine then, father." Gohan stepped back and crouched into a fighting stance, one that eerily mirrored Goku's own. "If you don't want to tell us where the Dragon Balls are, then I'll just have to force you."

Goku defensively stepped back. Not only was he not comfortable with fighting his own son, but he was feeling a tremendous power brimming beneath the surface from him. He couldn't quite gauge how powerful he had become, but he could tell it was formidable. Was it stronger than even Vegeta's?

Goku raised his hand toward his son. "Gohan, we don't have to do this. There's a wa-"

"Can it!" Gohan snapped. "Nothing on this pathetic mudball could help us besides the Dragon Balls! If you're not with us, then you're against us!"

Goku sighed in defeat and raised both of his arms at his sides. "Alright, son, I can see there's no convincing you. I don't want to fight you, but you leave me no choice."

"Wait."

Gohan and Goku looked at Vegeta with confusion. Vegeta turned to Gohan. "_I_ will fight Kakarot."

"But why?" Gohan asked.

"Because, it is my duty as the Prince of All Saiyans to dispose of this traitorous filth," Vegeta replied, sneering at Goku. "You're a disgrace to our people, _especially_ your father, Kakarot."

Gohan turned his eyes to the ground in shame. Even though he didn't consider himself a Saiyan, something about Vegeta's words dampened his spirits. He looked back up at Vegeta, who was looking at him with a piercing, unwavering gaze. Vegeta removed his red scouter and tossed it to the side. Gohan flew back a few feet.

"You really should be thrilled, Kakarot," Vegeta said, as he squared his shoulders for battle. "It's not every day a low class fighter such as yourself gets to be toyed with by a super elite."

Goku directed his eyes back at Vegeta, the familiar feeling of excitement at a challenge building within him. It had been a long time since he fought someone besides Piccolo, and the prospect of a new opponent made the hairs on the back of Goku's neck rise with anticipation. The younger Saiyan's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, really? Well, even a low class fighter can beat a super elite if he tries hard enough."

Vegeta snickered in response. "That was an amusing joke," he said as he got into an unusual fighting stance. "Now, let me show you a wall that you can't scale by simply 'trying hard.'"

"If you say so," Goku snickered. He let out a loud roar that rang through the air as a bright, blue Ki exploded around him. Vegeta watched the occasion with interest while Gohan turned on his scouter to see what his father's power level was. The ground around them began shaking as Goku pushed his power level further. Goku's Ki flared up again, managing to blow both Vegeta and Gohan back. Goku let out a deep sigh as his power began to calm down.

Gohan's scouter stopped running. "Hmm…20,000…"

_20,000?_ Vegeta asked himself, looking in Gohan's direction. _He's improved exponentially in the last eight years. He still can't take me, but it's still quite impressive…_

"Well? It's your call!" Goku yelled, challenge booming in his voice.

"Welcome to the last fight you ever experience, " Vegeta darkly remarked.

In a flash, the two full-blooded Saiyans shot up to the air and met in a clash, the shockwave of which managed to make Gohan stumble. They were fighting at staggering speed, looking more like a mix of blue and orange blurs rather than two fighters. Vegeta attempted to catch Goku off guard by slamming his elbow right onto his head, but Goku was just a step ahead and phased out of sight.

_He's quick,_ Vegeta remarked to himself.

Goku suddenly reappeared right at Vegeta's side and tried to land a kick to his skull, but the smaller Saiyan disappeared as well. He phased in right behind Goku and drove his knee right into his spine, eliciting a yell of pain from the younger Saiyan. Vegeta followed that up by ramming his elbow into the side of Goku's head. Goku flew back a little bit, but managed to stop himself in time to raise his arms over his face to block the fist aimed straight at his nose. Goku released a shockwave of Ki to blow Vegeta back, and then zipped right in front of him and landed a punch right to the prince's jaw.

Vegeta flew into the ground and took a rough landing. He rubbed at his jaw, as that punch hurt considerably more than he expected. Vegeta kipped back up to his feet, but then Goku suddenly phased in right in front of him and aimed a kick that would have torn the head off of a lesser fighter. Vegeta raised his forearm to block it, but even that stung a bit. Mirroring Goku's actions from before, Vegeta burst out his energy to create a shockwave that rocked the younger Saiyan back, and then delivered a staggering kick to his jaw that sent him flying several feet into the air.

Goku came to a stop but wasn't quick enough to evade the elbow Vegeta delivered to his stomach. Goku doubled over in pain and coughed hoarsely, allowing Vegeta to slam both of his fists onto Goku's back and knock him down. Vegeta smirked in satisfaction and followed his descent, trying to land a kick to Goku's shoulders. However, Goku was able to swing himself back up in the nick of time and land a surprise kick, slamming nearly the entirety of the lower half of his leg across Vegeta's face. Vegeta floated away from Goku and furiously rubbed at his nose, which allowed Goku to raise his palms at Vegeta's chest and fire a vicious Ki blast that sent the prince spiraling into a cliff.

Gohan flinched at the impact Vegeta made when he collided with the large rocky structure. He had to admit, Goku was doing very well for himself. The half-Saiyan never would have predicted that his father would be able to go all the way up to 20,000. He assuredly must have done some rather vigorous training to attain such a feat. But just how? There couldn't have been any sorts of training facilities on Earth to allow him to work _that_ hard. Perhaps he went into space?

Vegeta arose from the rubble, looking furious. Breathing was becoming a bit of a difficult task for him, as his nose was beginning to swell from that fierce kick. Nevertheless, Vegeta flew right back at an already prepared Goku, and the two broke out into another lightning fast exchange of near misses. Vegeta was on the offensive, but Goku was doing his best to keep up with the furious blows released by the brutal Prince. However, he was starting to realize that Vegeta was _extremely_ fast, not to mention tenacious. While he was sweating trying to match Vegeta's quickness, the smaller Saiyan didn't look to be terribly stressed even with the insane amount of speed he was putting out.

Vegeta landed a brutal kick to Goku's ribs, which caused him to instinctively clutch at his side. Vegeta then delivered several blows to Goku's face, and grabbed his head with both of his hands. In one swift, violent motion, Vegeta grabbed Goku face first and rammed his head straight into his knee. Goku let out a muffled howl of pain and then Vegeta, with a swipe of his arm, sent Goku flying towards the ground. He followed Goku on the way down and tried to kick him in the jaw again, but Goku managed to jerk his head back and then grabbed Vegeta right by his white boot. Using both of his arms to lock Vegeta's foot in an iron-tight hold, Goku began to spin in a circle, eventually reaching dizzying speeds. Goku swung the smaller Saiyan right out of his arms and straight into a cliff.

Vegeta hit the cliff so hard it caved in. Goku phased in right in front of him, a triumphant smirk present on his face. However, his expression once again became fierce when he went about delivering debilitating punch after debilitating punch to Vegeta's stomach, making the prince spit out a mouthful of blood. With each blow Goku landed, the more Vegeta's anger rose. Goku managed to deliver a horrific kick right to Vegeta's chest that caved him even further into the cliff.

Now thoroughly fed up with Goku's assault, Vegeta released a horrific burst of energy that destroyed the entirety of the cliff surrounding him and sent the taller Saiyan flying back dozens of feet. Vegeta floated a few feet forward and dusted off the chest plate of his armor. He cracked his neck as he took a deep breath to relax his mind. Goku was indeed strong for a low class Saiyan, but it was about time he ended the fight.

As Goku arose from the impact of Vegeta's shockwave, he felt a twinge of nervousness. That temporary burst of Ki he sensed from the Saiyan prince was _tremendous_! He never felt anything like it in his life. He looked up at Vegeta, who was gazing down upon him with a menacing grin etched across his face.

"I must admit, Kakarot, for a low class Saiyan you've done pretty well so far!" he back-handedly complimented. "But unfortunately, your effort has gone on long enough."

Gohan snickered. "Oh boy, here we go."

Goku's muscles tensed as he watched Vegeta squeeze his fists tightly at his sides from above. His Ki was rising quickly, approaching that outrageous level he burst out earlier. The Saiyan prince became engulfed in a bright, yellow glow. The sky began to darken and thunder set in, providing the perfect backdrop for Vegeta's frightening release of power. Lightning was raging all over the place, and Vegeta's screams increased in intensity.

"Man, this guy's got the whole planet going crazy!" Goku remarked, looking around at the dark sky. "Just how strong is he?"

The ground began to shake, causing Gohan to wobble around a bit. He decided to cut his troubles by floating a few feet above the surface as he watched Vegeta increase his power, giving an approving smirk as he did. This fight was Vegeta's now, Gohan could feel it. The rising numbers on his scouter only confirmed it.

Vegeta swung up his arms and let out a primal roar, releasing all of his Ki in a horrific flash of light. Goku and Gohan shielded their eyes from the light, which would have surely blinded them. When the light faded away, the rumbling ceased, and the sky cleared back to its peaceful, blue setting. In the middle of it all was the dark Saiyan prince, Vegeta, with a devious smirk on his face.

Gohan grinned when he saw the final number on the scouter. "Yep, 27,000. Father doesn't stand a chance in hell."

Goku could only watch Vegeta with a mix of fear and awe. That Ki was truly fearsome, going well beyond his very own. Whatever fight he was going to engage in now was a losing effort. But…he had to continue. If Vegeta were to win, he would undoubtedly find a way to get the Dragon Balls in his hand, and he couldn't let that happen. Though he knew his son was desperate to stay alive, he was just as sinister as Vegeta was, as much as he didn't want to admit to himself. Letting them have immortality would allow them to get drunk with power and run roughshod across the universe, and put Goku and his friends in danger.

Goku sighed in exasperation. Whoever that Frieza guy was that ruled over Gohan and Vegeta was sure to follow them to Earth, which likely put Goku in as much immediate danger as his fellow Saiyans. He wanted to cooperate with them, but they were obviously beyond the point of reasoning.

Vegeta pulled his head back and cackled like a lunatic. "It's all over for you, Kakarot! You might as well tell us how to find the balls now!"

Goku crouched down and raised his fist up. "Never!"

Vegeta closed his eyes and shook his head, and then sighed in feigned disappointment. "So be it, fool."

Vegeta lowered to Goku's level at a methodical pace, his sadistic smirk growing as he did so. The prince crossed his arms over his armor as he studied Goku's disposition. He certainly _looked_ confident and firm, but Vegeta could see the bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face. Goku was utterly outclassed and Vegeta could tell that he was aware of it.

"Hit me with your best shot," Vegeta arrogantly challenged, not even bothering to lower his arms.

Goku awkwardly shifted his weight as he anxiously looked at Vegeta. He was completely confident and composed; Goku could practically feel his new power engulfing him. The younger full-blooded Saiyan was well aware that he was merely being baited, but he didn't really know what else to do. Goku finally decided to lay his chips down and go for it.

Goku jumped at Vegeta and violently thrust his fist right at his face, but Vegeta swatted his hand away as if he were a child. Goku's eyes widened in shock as Vegeta fixed him with a murderous grin, pulling his fist back. The ruthless Saiyan prince then nailed a devastating punch straight to Goku's jaw, the force of which sent Goku flying back hundreds of feet, shooting through not one but _three _canyons.

Goku was lying down on his back on the ground, covered in debris, hundreds of feet away. He was probably able to stand back up but was too shocked to do it. His jaw was relentlessly throbbing as he rolled over on his hands and knees. _Never_ had he ever been hit so hard in his life. Goku forced his eyes shut to try and stifle the pain of the blow. To make matters worse, he was pretty sure that Gohan was even _stronger_ than that. The purging jobs they had done under Frieza were clearly extremely effective.

Goku stiffened when he could feel the Kis of Gohan and Vegeta approaching. He rolled back over on his back and slowly stood back up, still in a heap of pain from that punch and its aftereffects. The two space pirates were snickering at him from above.

"Do you understand how outmatched you are now, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked.

Goku rubbed at his jaw as he found himself _grinning_ at Gohan and Vegeta. "How strange…I should be scared of how terrifyingly powerful those two are…yet I'm really _excited_!" he remarked to himself. It must have been the Saiyan inside him talking.

"I'm not done just yet, Vegeta!" Goku declared.

"What an idiot…" Vegeta mumbled as he descended to the ground. Gohan didn't follow him, instead watching them from the sky. He actually felt a bit of, dare he say, admiration for Goku. It was just like the predicament he himself was in with Dodoria – hopelessly outclassed, but still willing to fight to the bitter end. Gohan shook his head, trying to force away such stupid thoughts.

Vegeta landed just a few feet away from Goku. "I could grind a helpless drone like yourself to dust so easily if I wanted to now," Vegeta snickered. "But I think I want to get some entertainment out of you first."

"Well then; Son Goku, at your service," Goku sarcastically replied.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and Goku lunged at him, throwing his best attacks. Goku was letting out a relentless burst of punches and kicks, but Vegeta was able to read his movements like a book and dodge them without so much as furrowing his brows in concentration. Goku's efforts were nothing more than humorous to the Saiyan prince. Goku went for a kick, aiming low, but Vegeta jumped up to dodge it and then effortlessly sent Goku away with a shockwave generated by a thrust of his hand.

Vegeta flew up into the sky, allowing Goku to chase him. The younger Saiyan took the bait hook, line, and sinker, flying after him. The prince snickered and raised both of his hands, and then fired a shower of Ki blasts at Goku. Goku stopped dead in his tracks and tried to stop the overwhelming rain of blasts, but he left himself open for the vicious kick Vegeta delivered to his gut. Goku couldn't even contain his shock – Vegeta had gotten to him so _quickly_! Goku coughed up a mouthful of blood right onto Vegeta's white shoe, though this didn't annoy the prince at all. Vegeta callously laughed and then kicked Goku right in the face.

Goku fell back to the ground once again, landing so hard it cracked beneath him. No less than five seconds after he landed did Vegeta come roaring back down, aiming to smash both of his feet onto his chest. Goku moved out of the way, just missing his two boots by a hair's breadth. Goku swallowed heavily in his throat when he saw just how deeply Vegeta's feet were planted into the rocky surface. As Vegeta tried to pull himself out from the ground, Goku capitalized on the distraction and fired a blast right at Vegeta's chest, one that successfully hit! Vegeta flew back a few feet and hit the ground, and Goku couldn't help but smirk at his victory, however small it may have been.

Vegeta stood back up, muttering a few curses in different alien languages as he did. That clown had caught him off guard. Vegeta gave Goku an intense glare of annoyance and jumped right back in front of him. He punched Goku right in the face and then blasted him in the chest, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Goku got up shockingly quick, however, and came running after Vegeta once more. He tried to nail several punches at Vegeta's abdomen, but was once again met with poor results. Vegeta rolled over to the side and kicked Goku in the ribs, sending him back several feet.

Goku was much slower to get back up. The force of Vegeta's strikes were starting to pile up on him. Goku hissed in agitation as he tried to come up with a more effective way to counter Vegeta. _This guy's just too fast…no matter what I do, he's always a step ahead!_

A light bulb went off in the Saiyan formerly known as Kakarot's head. _Heh…looks like I'm gonna have to pull out an old trick._ Goku clenched his fists tightly and he gave Vegeta stern glare.

"JAN-KEN!"

Goku charged at Vegeta and pulled his arm back before yelling, "ROCK!" However, rather than the punch Vegeta was expecting after seeing the Ginyu Force play such a game countless times, Goku instead shoved two fingers right into his eyes. Vegeta let out a pained shriek and clutched at his face, yelling some garbled nonsense about "third class pieces of shit."

Goku raised his hand and screamed, "PAPER!" This time, Goku actually hit him with an open palm strike to the face, which managed to make Vegeta stagger on his feet a bit.

Then, Goku pulled his arm back once more, this time balling his hand into a fist.

"SCISSORS!"

Goku landed a vicious punch right in Vegeta's face, the force of which knocked Vegeta right into a cliff several feet away. Goku mischievously grinned, glad to see that his oldest trick managed to work. Capitalizing on his small victory, Goku shot up into the sky and curled both of his arms back, cuffing both of his hands together. A bright, blue Ki began building around Goku's hands.

Gohan's eyes widened when he realized what his father was doing. He looked at the remains of the cliff Vegeta was buried under, hoping he would get back up in time. Gohan checked his scouter, and could see how Goku's power level was now rising from his charging of the technique – it was around 25,000, now!

"KA…ME…"

Vegeta could hear Goku as he dug through the various rocks he was buried beneath. That chant, it was the same one that Gohan yelled for his special energy wave…

"HA…ME…"

Vegeta finally escaped from the remains of the cliff, and his eyes shot open when he saw his opponent high up in the air, surrounded by a large amount of energy. _So that's where Gohan learned that from…_

**"HAAAAAAAAA!"**

Goku fired the power blast of Ki, which was headed straight for Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince clenched his teeth tightly as he raised his arms in attempt to counter the blast. Vegeta managed to catch the blast with his palms, but the density of it managed to force his feet into the ground. The sheer heat was making Vegeta sweat profusely, but that didn't stop his efforts at all. Vegeta released a loud scream as he pushed all of his Ki into the blast, pumping out power until he managed to reduce it into nothing but sparks of light.

"D-dammit," Goku cursed when he saw that Vegeta was still standing down below, unscathed. What in the world was he going to do now? He managed to cancel out his best attack! Goku took a quick look at Vegeta, until he suddenly remembered something:

His tail!

_Why hadn't I thought of that sooner?_ Goku asked himself. Vegeta broke out into obnoxious laughter.

"Well, Kakarot, it looks like you've reached a crossroads; not even your strongest attack could work against me! I'm afraid this fight is going to have to end!" he boasted.

Goku laughed in response. "Not quite, Vegeta," he mumbled.

Goku flew back to the ground, eyeing Vegeta cautiously as he did. He charged at Vegeta once again, and the Prince prepared himself to counter whatever attack he would send his way. However, Goku instead pulled a surprise, phasing out of sight. Vegeta gasped in shock and frantically looked around for any sign of the low class Saiyan.

Goku reappeared right behind Vegeta and grabbed hold of his furry, brown tail, squeezing it tightly. Vegeta flinched, which made Goku triumphantly grin. "You idiot – you left your tail open! I've got you, now!"

"You simple-minded fool…" Vegeta muttered, his voice in a dangerously calm drawl. Goku's eyes snapped open in response.

"Wait, wha-"

Vegeta cut Goku off with an elbow straight to his face, which launched Goku into a faraway cliff. The rocky structure exploded into thousands of tiny pieces when Goku crashed into it. Vegeta laughed haughtily at Goku's utter failure. He flew up high into the sky, watching amusedly as Goku tried to get back up. Gohan shared Vegeta's entertainment.

"Did you really think that an elite like me was so dumb as to leave my tail a weak spot forever?" Vegeta asked, with clear amusement in his voice.

Goku angrily slammed his fist onto a nearby rock, smashing it to dust in the process. "Dammit, I should've known something like that would've happened!"

Vegeta raised his arm and opened his palm. His hand began glowing with a lethal Ki. "This is your last chance to be compliant, Kakarot. Either tell us how to find the Dragon Balls, or die here."

Gohan looked on with a strange mix of emotions. He was absolutely sure that Vegeta would carry out his threat if Goku didn't comply, and yet…it pained him? But why? It shouldn't have mattered to Gohan that his father was about to lose his life. As Vegeta had always taught him, all attachments, be they friendly or familial, were flimsy at best, and were to be cut off if they weren't suitable to his purposes. And yet, as much as the thought utterly repulsed Gohan, it was practically punching him in the head:

He didn't want to see his father die.

As Vegeta's blast gradually grew in size, Gohan turned to look at Goku, who was slowly getting back up. "Dammit, father, stop being so stubborn!" Gohan urged, hardly even recognizing his own voice anymore. "Just show us how to find the Dragon Balls, and we _won't_ kill you!"

"I…can't…!" Goku weakly replied.

"So then you must die," Vegeta coldly concluded.

He fired the deadly Ki wave straight down, watching as it made its quick descent to its weak, low class target. However, just as it was mere feet away, another blast, seemingly out of nowhere, collided with it, causing both waves to cancel each other out and explode into a blinding white flash of light. All three Saiyans fiercely shut their eyes, sharing similar thoughts on who it could have possibly came from. The light soon faded away, and Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan began looking around.

"What a shame, Goku. You can't even handle this little runt."

Goku looked up at the sky and felt an odd sense of relief when he saw the figure looking at him from high above.

"Piccolo!"

Piccolo snorted in disgust as he flew over to where Goku was barely standing. Goku smirked in acknowledgement of the scowl present on his longtime nemesis' face. "Y'know, I should have been counting on you showing up to help me all along."

"Shut the hell up, Goku," Piccolo sneered. "I didn't come here to help you. You need to stay alive so that _I_ can defeat you."

"And here I thought you'd finally give up after the tenth or so failure," Goku taunted.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed dangerously at Goku. "I ought to kill you right now."

"Oh come on, Piccolo, you know you'd wait until I was completely unscathed to do something like that."

Piccolo irritably hissed through his teeth, not wanting to continue the witty banter any further. Vegeta and Gohan were floating towards them. "I have a bone to pick with your son, actually. _That's_ why I'm here."

"So you know the secret, too?" Goku asked curiously.

"Correct. Pretty ironic that _your_ son would end up being the ruthless space pirate. Personally, I think it's a pretty decent occupation," Piccolo said with a malicious grin, purposefully making that comment a low blow.

Goku offered no response, instead focusing on the Saiyans that were approaching. The Saiyans finally came to a stop when they were just a few feet away from the two rivals, observing Piccolo closely. "Ah, funny to see you back here, Piccolo," Gohan said with an arrogant smirk.

Piccolo irritably growled at Gohan, still bitter over their encounter. Gohan laughed, although Vegeta seemed to be observing Piccolo with great intrigue. "And just what's got _you_ so curious, fire-head?" Piccolo challenged, directing his eyes at Vegeta.

"Hmm…a Namekian," Vegeta remarked.

All eyes turned to Piccolo, who was staring at Vegeta as if he had just lost the ability to think. "_Namekian…?_"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he observed Piccolo studiously. "So you didn't know? The green skin, pointy ears, nonexistent eyebrows, and scaly pink arms were a dead giveaway."

"Whoa, so you're an alien, too, Piccolo?" Goku exclaimed. "Heh, guess that's another thing we have in common."

Piccolo merely growled in Goku's general direction, lost in thought. "They say that in addition to having unusually high power levels, the Namekians are also capable of certain types of magic techniques," Vegeta continued, although Piccolo wasn't even listening to his words. He was instead coming to grips with the fact that he was an alien, a _Namekian_. What other secrets were there to his, or rather Kami's, past?

"So then…it must have been _you_ who made the Dragon Balls," Vegeta deduced, pointing his finger straight at Piccolo. "You better tell me where they are now, because I have no use for a slimy _slug_ like you."

Piccolo's aghast expression gave way to a challenging smirk. "You know, I actually have to thank you, runt. Because of you, I know a little bit about my ancestry." Piccolo's smirk widened as he raised his arm and tugged at the collar of his cape. "But you're wrong – I didn't make the Dragon Balls. I'm the type that specializes in _fighting_, you see."

In one simple motion, Piccolo slipped his cape over his head and tossed it to the ground. The cape made a good impact when it landed, leaving a few cracks and picking up dust. The Namekian then tossed off his turban, revealing his antennae, and crouched into a fighting stance. "So come at me! We'll see if I really am a _slug_ or not!"

Gohan's scouter was now running, examining Piccolo's power level. "Whoa, he's at 18,000 now."

Vegeta's eye twitched as he mulled over that number. If Piccolo and Goku were to team up on him, they had a chance of actually _winning_. He could tell that these two were extremely proficient at fighting; a team effort from those two could potentially be lethal.

_But_, on the bright side, he had Gohan.

"So, it looks like we're teaming up _again_, huh Piccolo? The Saiyans sure do have a habit of driving us into doing stuff like that," Goku joked.

"You sure do have a habit of making me want to rip out your vocal cords every time you open your mouth," Piccolo snidely replied. Goku merely chuckled.

"Well then, if you two want to team up, I suppose Gohan and I will as well," Vegeta said. "I hope you realize that your chances of winning haven't changed in the slightest."

"Wait, I'll take them both on by myself, Vegeta," Gohan cut in.

"What?" Vegeta asked. "Are you sure?"

"Piccolo here is still bitter over our encounter from before I came here, so I suppose I'll humor him. Besides, they're power levels _combined_ still can't stack up to mine," Gohan replied, lacing his comments with smug arrogance.

Piccolo's antennae twitched in annoyance. He loathed being belittled and mocked by those Saiyans, _especially_ the son of Goku. The Namekian was clenching his fists so tightly he was drawing blood from his palms. Goku dusted off his torn orange Gi and crouched down, preparing to battle his son.

Gohan removed his scouter from his ear and nonchalantly tossed it to the ground. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms out, as he hadn't had a real fight since his battle with Dodoria. He was confident that he'd be able to defeat his father and Piccolo with ease. Though he hadn't measured his power with a scouter, he felt significantly stronger than he was before his enraged onslaught on Dodoria. By his estimation, he was in the high 30,000s now, maybe even 40. And that wasn't even all of his power; should he get angry enough, it would surely get even higher.

Gohan raised his fists and squared his shoulders. "Well? Any time now."

Piccolo and Goku both charged at Gohan and thrust their fists forward, but the half-Saiyan disappeared before they even reached him. Gohan phased in right behind them and slammed both of his feet onto their upper backs, knocking them face first to the ground. Piccolo was the first to get back up, rubbing the side of his head as looked at Gohan tersely. He moved so fast – he couldn't even detect him! Goku stumbled back up to his feet, dizzy from the blow and still reeling from his battle with Vegeta.

"Your son sure is a quick one," Piccolo remarked.

"Man, you're telling me…"

"Are you two realizing how much stronger I am?" Gohan boasted. He was hoping that Goku would eventually come around, as he wanted to avoid having to kill him, he begrudgingly admitted.

"Do you have any sort of plans, Piccolo?" Goku inquired.

"I can't think of anything," Piccolo replied. "And I don't trust your ability to come up with something good, considering what I saw happen when you tried to grab the other Saiyan's tail."

"Heh, touché, Piccolo."

"I'm surprised you even know what that means."

Goku shook his head. "Anyway, I guess the only course of action is just to come at him again."

"Fine," Piccolo replied, sliding his feet back. He and Goku once again ran at Gohan, who jumped back this time. They both threw a whirlwind of attacks at Gohan, but his smaller size allowed him to evade them with ease. Goku and Piccolo tried phasing out of sight and reappearing behind Gohan, but the half-Saiyan was able to read their movements easily, and slammed both of his elbows in their faces without even turning to look at them. Gohan turned around and flew high up into the air, and Goku and Piccolo followed. However, Gohan released a burst of Ki that managed to blow both rivals back. As they fell in the sky, Gohan went about attacking them both, flying up to Piccolo and kicking him in the jaw and then phasing in front of his father and punching him in the stomach.

Goku slowly rose to his feet, favoring his ribs. "Damn, that hurt!" The earth raised Saiyan felt a strange bit of pride – his son really had become a powerful warrior. Though he was sure he did it through unscrupulous means, it was nonetheless impressive.

Piccolo leapt back up and immediately flew back at Gohan, attempting to hit him with several punches. However, Gohan blocked them all, and then swatted Piccolo away with a swipe of his arm. Goku barreled towards him, trying to ram his arm into him, but Gohan raised both of his to absorb the impact. Gohan smashed his elbow right into his father's face and nailed several blows to his stomach, and managed to turn his attention away from him long enough to deflect the blast shot by Piccolo. Gohan flew up to the Namekian and kicked him squarely in the temple to send him spiraling to the ground.

Vegeta nodded in approval as he watched the fight go on in the sky. Though Gohan's power inspired the slightest hint of fear in Vegeta, it was very admirable. He was effortlessly thwarting their attacks, and he wasn't even using his full power yet. His potential was seemingly bottomless.

As Gohan went blow-for-blow with his father, he was caught by surprise when he felt a hand grab hold of his foot. He looked down and saw Piccolo's arm, outstretched by hundreds of feet. Before Gohan even had a chance to retaliate, Piccolo retracted his arm at a rapid pace and then brutally slammed his fist into Gohan's face once he was at eye level. The punch was so hard it made Gohan see stars as he wobbled around a little bit. As soon as he found his balance, however, he angrily snarled at Piccolo and fired a vicious Ki blast right at his chest.

Piccolo flew into a cliff dozens of feet away and Goku came flying back at Gohan. The demi-Saiyan turned around in time to block the kick his father sent him. Gohan struck his father with his palm and then slammed both of his fists on top of Goku's head. As Goku doubled over and clutched at his stinging cranium, Gohan kicked him in the jaw to send him in the sky. As he flew after Goku, Gohan could overhear Piccolo's voice.

"HEADS UP, BRAT!"

Gohan came to an abrupt stop, widening his eyes in surprise when he saw the _hundreds_ of energy blasts coming his way. He prepare himself to block them, but they seemed to be moving in a strange pattern. They appeared to be flying _around_ him, not at him. Making matters even more odd, the blasts stopped once they were within Gohan's general area, suspending themselves in mid-air. Gohan could only look around, wondering what the hell Piccolo had just concocted.

Piccolo gave a devilish grin as he raised his arms up. "Burn in hell!" He folded his arms right over his head.

Suddenly, the blasts surrounding Gohan all came flying straight at him. _Shit!_ Gohan thought. It was a swarm! The small blasts all hit their target dead-on, triggering a massive explosion of light and smoke in the process.

Vegeta squeezed his fists tightly. Not even _he_ understood what the Namekian was trying to do by firing all of those blasts. He had to admit, that was a phenomenal strategy. The Saiyan prince had never seen anything like that in all of his years of combat.

"Whoa, that was a pretty cool attack there, Piccolo!" Goku marveled as the light faded.

"I was planning on using that attack on _you_ in the future," Piccolo bitterly replied. "So much for that."

As the smoke cleared, Gohan could be seen, still floating in the air! Piccolo and Goku both looked on in bewilderment, though Vegeta smirked. Gohan's legs were curled up and his arms were crossed in front of his face. As he eased up and lowered his limbs, the damage of the attack could be seen. His armor had several cracks and patches of dirt on it, and his black body suit had quite few tears. The half-Saiyan was seething with rage, hellish fires building in his eyes.

"You son of a bitch! Now you've pissed me off, Piccolo!" Gohan screamed.

He floated to the ground and walked towards Piccolo at a methodical pace, hissing through his teeth in an attempt to contain his rage as he did. Piccolo clamped down on his jaw tightly, now the slightest bit afraid of what was coming in store for him.

"Ready to die, Piccolo?" Gohan darkly snickered.

Piccolo suddenly remembered a certain important tidbit, causing a smirk to creep up to his face. "You might not want to kill me, kid."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and why is that?"

"Vegeta actually was right about one thing – I _did_ create the Dragon Balls. Or rather, my other half, Kami did. If you kill me, then that old bastard dies as well," Piccolo explained. His smirk widened. "And if _that_ happens, then the Dragon Balls will disappear."

"WHAT?" Gohan and Vegeta exclaimed at the same time.

"Liar!" Vegeta countered, flying to where they were in record speed.

"People really do say the craziest things when they're about to die, don't they?" Gohan sneered, turning to his comrade. "Let's _end_ this bastard, now."

"He's not lying."

Gohan and Vegeta both turned around to look at Goku, who was a few feet behind them. "That's part of the reason why _I've_ avoided killing him throughout the years. If Piccolo dies, then there are no Dragon Balls. Simple as that."

Vegeta looked studiously into Goku's black eyes, trying to find any sign of a lie. When he saw that there wasn't any, he begrudgingly sighed in defeat. "Alright, then. The Namekian stays. But as for _you_, Kakarot – you better come around and cooperate with us, or else your life will come to an end."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Vegeta: I won't let you two have the Dragon Balls!" Goku replied, his voice full of confidence.

Vegeta hissed in utter frustration. He furiously marched towards Goku and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his blue shirt. His eyes were intense, harboring years of anger and frustration that made even Goku shrink in confidence.

"Now you listen to me, and you listen _good_, third-class. You will _tell us_ how to find the Dragon Balls AT ONCE! Your idiotic fucking insolence is going to get me and your son killed! If you do not comply with us, I am going to rip your fucking head right off of your neck and-"

Vegeta's threats died when he suddenly felt something. Something _powerful_. It was heading straight towards Earth, and fast. There were two of them – two tremendous power levels.

_No…it couldn't be! Frieza has sent _them_ after us…?_ Vegeta thought to himself as he slowly released his hand from Goku's shirt, turning his full attention to the sky. He seemed to be trying to form words, but they sounded like random jammers than anything else.

Gohan saw that rare look of fear on Vegeta's face and swallowed heavily in his throat. "Vegeta, what is it?"

Goku and Piccolo suddenly jumped and turned into the direction Vegeta was looking in, both seemingly frozen in horror. Whatever Vegeta was sensing, they were sensing as well. Gohan stomped his feet on the ground in frustration. He hated being the only one who couldn't sense power levels now, and he didn't see his scouter anywhere nearby.

"No, seriously, what the hell are you guys sensing?"

"I-its…Avo and Cado."


	14. Twins of Terror

All of the color in Goku's face drained when he sensed the power levels approaching his planet at a fast pace. Though Vegeta and Gohan's Ki levels were amazing…these two guys were in a completely different league. He had never in his life felt anything so _fearsome_. Goku snuck a glance at Vegeta and Gohan, who were just as pallid as he was. Even Piccolo's skin was a more sickly shade of green at the moment.

"Wh-who are those guys…?" Goku gasped, trying to contain his fear.

It took a few seconds for Goku's words to even register to Vegeta. Finally, the flame-haired Saiyan shook his head and turned to man he was just fighting mere minutes ago. "Two of Frieza's top men…they're among his highest ranking soldiers."

"I hear they're just as strong as Captain Ginyu himself," Gohan grimly added, wiping cold sweat away from his forehead.

"Well…who's this Captain Ginyu guy?" Piccolo nervously asked.

"Let's just look at it like this: for reference, my power level is around 40,000," Gohan explained, his voice on edge. "Captain Ginyu's power level is said to be around _150,000_."

Goku and Piccolo's jaws both sank in complete shock. _150,000_? That was over three times greater than Gohan's! Even combined, they had trouble even keeping up with Gohan; how in the hell were they going to beat something like _that_? And two of them, no less!

"I've heard that Avo and Cado are just slightly below that, but that doesn't make them any less terrifying," Vegeta nervously cut in. "They're going to destroy us."

Vegeta turned and once again grabbed Goku by the collar of his blue shirt. "Do you see now, Kakarot? These two guys are staggeringly powerful, and Frieza is thousands of times _worse_! _That_ is why we need the Dragon Balls! Now stop being so goddamn stubborn and help us find them!"

Goku was first taken aback by Vegeta's hostility, but his expression quickly became firm and confident. He gave Vegeta a hard stare and grabbed his wrist, not caring that the prince was capable of killing him. "Just think for a second, Vegeta. Do you feel how fast those guys are approaching? Even _if_ I decided to let you two have the Dragon Balls, we wouldn't even be able to find them in time."

Vegeta growled in frustration and roughly shoved Goku out of his grip. He ran both of his hands through his hair, trying to formulate _something_ that would ensure his survival. Piccolo and Goku looked at Vegeta uncomfortably. It looked like he was going to explode from stress at any second, and they definitely didn't want to be anywhere near him for that.

Gohan's brows furrowed in agitation; this was exactly what he feared. He knew that Frieza was likely following his and Vegeta's space pods, but he was hoping Frieza would severely underestimate his power and send Zarbon after him. That effeminate, green bastard, he could handle; but _Avo _and _Cado_? How was he ever going to defeat them? Gohan turned to his longtime comrade, who was giving him, Piccolo, and Goku his back and practically ripping out strands of hair from his head. Gohan had never seen Vegeta acting so restless before.

Vegeta let out a loud, exasperated sigh before turning around to face the three fighters. "As much as this thought sickens me, our only option is to team up, given the time we have," he snarled, his eyes mainly directed at Goku.

"Well, what are we going to do; how will we go about fighting them?" Goku asked.

Vegeta planted his hands on his waist and glanced down at the ground, falling into thought. "We'll…try to catch them off guard. Our best bet is combining all of our powers into an attack." Vegeta directed his eyes to Piccolo. "Namekian, you're still able to use that attack you used on Gohan, correct?"

Piccolo anxiously nodded, trying to fight back the churning in his stomach caused by having to join forces with the Saiyans. "I'll swarm them with the blasts, and you three will fire your strongest attacks."

"That's along the lines of what I was thinking…" Vegeta absent-mindedly replied, staring off into the sky. He could see their pods cutting through the planet's atmosphere. _Dammit,_ Vegeta cursed, _Kakarot wasn't lying when he said we wouldn't have enough time to gather the Dragon Balls…_

Goku swallowed in his throat a little. He wasn't keen on the idea of joining Vegeta, but he was in just as much danger as he was. And not only that, but he _did_ want to help Gohan out against these monsters that were after his life, even if it wasn't in the way that he thought he needed. These Avo and Cado guys were terrifying enough as it was – if their head honcho was supposed to be worse…Goku didn't even want to think about that. Though the prospect of someone that strong slightly excited him, he also understood just why Gohan and Vegeta were so desperate for a shortcut.

A huge explosion went off in the distance, startling all four of the warriors. This was it; they were here. Piccolo, Goku, and Gohan all turned to Vegeta, waiting for his command.

"Shit!" Vegeta exclaimed, clenching his fists tightly. "We have to strike first – we can't let them come to us. Let's go!"

Before he even completed his sentence, Vegeta blasted off into the sky in the direction of the power levels. Piccolo, Gohan, and Goku exchanged glances with each other before following his flight. A vein in Vegeta's temple was throbbing as he headed towards where the power levels were. He sincerely hoped that his plan would work. If push came to shove, he was going to have to use the Great Ape transformation. However, Gohan still couldn't control himself in that form, as he never particularly had to rely on it often. Vegeta knew that there was a good chance that Gohan would snap and try to destroy _him_, too.

* * *

><p>Krillin, Master Roshi, Bulma, Yamcha, and the others remained at the balcony in Capsule Corporation. The day certainly brought them a twist. They never would have guessed that another Saiyan would come dropping in on their planet. After Goku's brother took away his son, they never got even so much as a sign that they would ever come back. The longtime group of friends was in the dark as to what purpose they were here for.<p>

Krillin sank into his chair and took a drink. For the last hour or so the planet was rocked with several scattered incidents of large rumblings, and he could feel several Ki's fluctuating to ridiculous heights. Being on edge for so much was quite frankly exhausting. "Man, some day this was, huh?" he remarked.

"I don't know about you guys, but that Saiyan or whatever gave me the creeps," Bulma said, shuddering just from thinking about him. "Something about that look on his eyes was just frightening."

"Yeah, I hear ya," Yamcha added, "And did you guys feel his Ki? It was ridiculous!"

Master Roshi raised a hand to his long, white beard, deep in thought. "I wonder…just why did that Saiyan decide to come here? I feel another Ki close by him, and it feels similar to his…but at the same time it's different. Like I've felt it somewhere before."

"It could just be Goku's creep of a brother," Bulma replied, frowning at the thought of him.

"I don't think so," Krillin argued. "It definitely feels like a Saiyan, but at the same time it feels _human_, too, ya know?"

"Indeed…" Master Roshi replied. A Saiyan Ki that also had the qualities of a human; Master Roshi's glasses nearly fell off his head when he came to realization. "N-no, it couldn't be…!"

"What, Master Roshi?" Yamcha asked curiously.

Roshi sank in his chair, slowly dismissing the thought that traveled to his mind. "Oh…forget it; it was nothing."

Suddenly, Master Roshi, Krillin, and Yamcha jumped out of their seats. They all felt it; two _massive_ Ki's that had just landed on the planet. They made the Ki's of the two Saiyans look like child's play.

"H-holy crap…those Ki's are _huge_!" Yamcha stammered, twitching nervously.

"Oh great, just great! _More_ super-powerful aliens?" Krillin complained, clenching his fists. "What in the world is going on around here?"

Oolong was nervously biting his fingernails. "Oh no…you don't think there's gonna be an invasion or something? Man, screw this, I'm finding a spaceship!"

"Shut up, Oolong, you're not going anywhere!" Bulma snapped, making Oolong flinch.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Yamcha muttered, staring off into the direction of the Ki signals. He could feel four more strong powers heading in that direction as well. Two of them were Goku and Piccolo, he deduced. The other two felt like the Saiyans he sensed from before.

Krillin let out a nervous laugh, sweat trailing down his head. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not too keen on the idea of just standing here and watching it happen, even if I'm pretty useless. I want to help Goku out." Krillin mentally kicked himself for his stupid bravery. _Oh, just great, Krillin, you just have to let your pride get in the way! At this rate you're _never_ getting married!_

"I…I'm with you, Krillin," Yamcha reluctantly added.

"Well if you guys are going, I'm going too," Master Roshi said, stepping forward to where his two longtime pupils were standing. They all exchanged glances with each other before nodding.

Bulma let out an angry shriek. "Ugh, men! You guys are all so pig-headed, wanting to look _sooooo_ tough!"

Yamcha and Krillin rolled their eyes. "Are you just going to stand there and complain, Bulma?" Yamcha accused, looking over his shoulder at the angry blue haired woman.

Bulma shook her head and fixed Yamcha with an angry glare. "Actually, I'm going to go with you guys, so I can make sure your stupid asses don't get killed!"

Krillin narrowed his eyes in agitation. "And you say _we're_ the pig-headed ones…"

"Well, I don't know about _you guys_, but I'm not an idiot. So I'm staying here, where I can continue to enjoy my delicious food before being converted into bacon by whatever crazy aliens are coming," Oolong said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well _I'm_ going with you, Yamcha!" Puar resolved.

"Good; besides, we wouldn't want a coward like Oolong slowing us down, anyway," Bulma sneered.

Oolong jumped out of his chair. "Why you little…! I'm no coward!" he yelled, smoke coming out of his large nostrils. "You know what? Fine, get the damn capsule out, I'm going with you guys!"

"Alrighty then," Bulma said, fighting back the mischievous smirk creeping up to her lips. Her baiting of Oolong never failed. She dug into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small, white box. Bulma opened it and searched for the right capsule. She found a certain pink one and pulled it out of the box, pushing the cap down on it. She tossed it to the ground and it exploded into a large, yellow, jet, one that was capable of holding several people. Bulma opened the door and swiftly jumped into the cockpit.

"Well, what the hell are you guys standing around for? Get in!" Bulma commanded.

All of the men (and Puar) groaned before walking in. Yamcha sat next to her in the passenger's seat while the rest of the crew sat down on the floor behind their two chairs. Bulma pressed the proper buttons, and soon after, the jet hovered into the air and blasted off, headed in the direction of those two Ki's.

* * *

><p>Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta were flying as fast as their bodies could allow to the location of Avo and Cado. As soon as Vegeta saw two red and blue figures down below, he fired a lethal Ki blast straight at the ground, startling the three warriors behind him. Vegeta flew down below, swatting away all of the smoke rising towards him. Vegeta zipped towards one of the figures obscured by the smoke and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying back a few feet. As the smoke blew away, Vegeta could see the confused, red face of Cado; the one he had kicked was his brother, Avo.<p>

Wasting no time, Vegeta grabbed the startled alien by the two horns sprouting from his head and then ruthless drove his face into his knee. Releasing Cado's horns, Vegeta placed both of his hands over his chest, lighting them up with his Ki. He fired a nasty blast right at Cado's chest to send him flying.

"Man, Vegeta sure is going to work!" Goku marveled, sighing as he did.

Frieza's top ranking soldiers were now in clear view as they struggled up to their feet. Both brothers were very short and rotund, Avo being blue with a single horn on his head and wearing a purple scouter, and Cado being red with two horns and an identical scouter. They were both wearing identical white armor with yellow shoulder guards and blue body suits.

"Ah, so you're here after all, Vegeta," Avo remarked.

"We didn't count on you coming to us," Cado added, looking up to the sky. "And look, Gohan's here too. It looks like you to have made a couple of friends on this planet."

"Enough with the idle bullshit!" Vegeta sneered. "I already know that bastard Frieza's after me. The two of you aren't taking me alive!"

"Oh, but you see, Lord Frieza actually wants us to _personally_ deliver you to him," Cado replied, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Indeed; says he wants to take his time slowly tearing you apart," Avo added.

Vegeta hissed through his teeth, figuring that was what Frieza would try to do with him. There was no way he was going to become his little plaything. Vegeta looked over his shoulder at Gohan, Goku, and Piccolo, silently directing them to take action.

Without warning, Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan flew down to where they were at top speed, ambushing Avo and Cado. Gohan kicked Cado in the jaw as hard as he could, while Goku and Piccolo delivered a fierce array of blows to Avo's stomach. Giving the twins no time to recover, the four alien warriors flew up to them and continued throwing their best attacks at them. They were going to try and gradually weaken the considerably more powerful warriors, not giving them a chance to put up a defense. Vegeta fired another powerful wave of Ki, and Gohan did the same, hitting their targets dead on and sending them high into the air.

Vegeta came to a stop and jerked his head over to where Piccolo was. "NOW, NAMEKIAN!"

Piccolo nodded and raised both of his hands, charging up an immense Ki. The Namekian fighter then fired a rapid volley of small Ki blasts, manipulating his Ki so that they could swarm around Avo and Cado and freeze in mid-air. As Piccolo fired off like a machine gun, Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta all crouched into identical stances, curling their arms back and cuffing their hands together, all glowing with deadly amounts of Ki. Gohan and Goku were chanting an identical name…

"KA…ME…HA…ME…"

Piccolo brought his attack to a stop and gave the three Saiyans a nod. They responded in kind.

**"HAAAAAAAAA!"**

Three deadly Ki waves fired, illuminating the vast, grassy area. Just as they fired, Piccolo folded his arms over his head, denoting his special attack. The hundreds of small energy blasts rushed towards Avo and Cado at once, leaving them defenseless against the three Ki waves closing in.

All of the Ki attacks connected, triggering a massive explosion. The four warriors all protected their eyes from the rush of smoke that filled the air. They were all panting heavily, especially Piccolo, as he had to gather up so much Ki at such a quick rate. Goku turned his head to the side, glancing over at Vegeta.

"I-I think it worked," Goku remarked, placing his hands on his knees.

"Yeah, it should have," Vegeta hoarsely replied, trying to catch his breath.

"I can't sense either of them, at least," Piccolo added, stretching his arms.

Gohan, however, wasn't as optimistic. He winced so he could see what was behind the smoke, and his stomach dropped when it became clear. "Son of a bitch…"

The elder warriors turned to Gohan, all with similar curious looks on their faces. "Gohan, what's wrong?" Goku asked.

"Th-they're still up…" Gohan stammered.

"What?" Vegeta hissed, snapping his head up and indeed seeing the same thing. Avo and Cado were still there, hovering in the air. Though their armor was damaged and they looked to be in shock, they were still very much alive. And from the looks of it, furious.

"Aw, crap, what are we gonna do now?" Goku asked, growing increasingly anxious. "These guys are both _way_ too strong!"

"Have any more ideas?" Piccolo asked Vegeta.

"D-dammit…I don't have a clue," Vegeta bleakly replied, watching as Avo and Cado floated down to where they were. Their anger subsided, as they instead looked amused.

"I have to admit, that was one hell of a plan you four had there," Avo complimented.

"Yeah, that hurt pretty damn bad. We're gonna have to make sure you four _never_ pull something like that again," Cado declared.

Avo turned to his brother, a devious smirk present on his face. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Cado?"

Cado nodded. "Oh yes!"

"Dammit, what now…?" Gohan snarled.

"MERGE!" they both screamed in unison.

Avo and Cado dropped their scouters and floated towards each other and began spinning very rapidly, forming a whirlwind of purple from how fast they were moving. A bright, purple light emitted from the whirlwind, prompting Gohan, Piccolo, Goku, and Vegeta to shield their eyes. Their jaws all sank to the floor when they saw what appeared when the light faded.

Standing before them was a hideous, round, purple monster-like creature, not too dissimilar from Dodoria. He had purple skin, with spikes protruding from his arms and chin. Completing his appearance was a horn-like appendage sticking out from his head. His Ki was enormous, greater than that of Avo and Cado combined.

"What the hell is that thing?" Gohan gasped, feeling like sand was in his throat.

The violet beast laughed obnoxiously, the sound making the four fighters cringe. "I am neither Avo nor Cado! I am…_AVOCADO!"_

Goku arched his eyebrow in confusion and scratched the side of his head. "…but, all you did was just combine those other two guys' names."

The simultaneous exclamations of, "SHUT UP, GOKU," "SHUT UP, KAKAROT," and "SHUT UP, FATHER" were enough to snap Goku out of his rather odd state of confusion.

Avocado could only look at the earth-raised Saiyan in exasperation, confused by how someone could be so aloof about things at a time like this. "Anyway," he interjected, shaking his head, "It's all over for you guys!"

"We're…we're doomed," Vegeta dejectedly remarked.

"Of all the insane power levels I've sensed in my lifetime, none of them have even come _close_ to this guy," Goku mused, mortified, but with a hint of amazement.

Avocado cracked his knuckles, sadistically licking his lips in anticipation. "So, which one of you wants to die first?"

"I guess we'll just have to fight these guys," Goku resolved, his voice firm. Vegeta glanced at him, blinking in amazement. Goku may have been a low class dog who spat on his heritage, but his determination was unmistakably that of a Saiyan. Maybe there was hope for the bastard after all.

"Should we swarm them, or what?" Piccolo whispered.

"If you want to just die in an instant then be my guest, Namekian," Vegeta snidely replied, drawing a challenging growl from Piccolo.

"Well, if none of you want to step up, then I guess I'll just have to choose!" Avocado darkly declared. "I don't give a crap about you two guys," he remarked, waving a dismissive hand in the direction of Goku and Piccolo, "And Frieza wants Vegeta back alive," Avocado directed his eyes at Gohan, who unconsciously stepped back in defense. Avocado's eyes narrowed ominously. "So I guess I'm just gonna have to start with _you_."

Gohan flashed a bitter smirk, turning to Vegeta and his two other temporary allies. "Well, you all heard the bastard."

"Are you crazy? Are you really gonna fight that guy alone?" Goku asked in disbelief.

"The little shit could croak for all I care," Piccolo muttered under his breath. Vegeta overheard it and shot Piccolo a deadly glare, though Piccolo returned it. If Gohan heard it, he didn't seem to care, instead taking a few steps forward.

"You want me? Well you've got me!" Gohan confidently shouted.

"Well then, if you insist on fighting, then alright, fool," Avocado snickered. "But this isn't going to end like how it did with Dodoria."

Gohan defiantly snorted and let out a primal yell, bursting his Ki around him. The pressure from the wave of energy managed to blow Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo back. A large amount of dust was building around the twelve year old half-Saiyan as he pushed his Ki as far as he possibly could.

"Man, how did Gohan get so strong?" Goku marveled, cracking a sideways smile as he watched his son power up. "He's even stronger than you, Vegeta!"

Vegeta snorted in Goku's direction, though he couldn't fight the smirk that crept up to his face.

Gohan's Ki calmed down, and the rumbling ceased. He shot Avocado a stern glare, before flying forward. Avocado didn't even attempt to move out of the way when Gohan thrust his fist at him, instead catching it with his large, purple hand and effortless swinging Gohan around and into a cliff. The rocky structure didn't give away, instead caving in when Gohan crashed into it. Avocado blasted off towards Gohan, but the half-Saiyan fired a Ki blast straight at him. Avocado swatted the wave away with ease, but Gohan used that as a distraction and flew at the purple beast, landing a punch right to his jaw. To his horror, however, Avocado wasn't affected by the blow in the slightest, instead laughing.

"You're gonna have to hit harder than that, kid," Avocado taunted, mockingly pointed at his jaw.

Gohan hissed angrily through his teeth and then ripped a page straight out of his father's book. "JAN-KEN!"

Avocado blinked in confusion. "Wait, rock-paper-scissors? Why the hell do you want to play tha-"

He was cut off when Gohan yelled "ROCK!" and viciously dug his fingers right into his eyes. Avocado staggered back and clutched at his face, allowing Gohan to unleash a dizzying array of punches to the warrior's large stomach. The half-Saiyan was attacking as fast as he possibly could, keeping Avocado subdued. Gohan jumped up and landed a nasty kick right to Avocado's face, knocking him off to the side. Avocado caved into a cliff, and at near impossible speeds, Gohan caught up to him and resumed his flurry of punches.

"I have to admit, your annoying rat of a son sure is tenacious," Piccolo begrudgingly resolved, glancing at Goku. Goku merely absent-mindedly nodded, amazed at his son's display of bravery and toughness.

"He learned it all from me," Vegeta arrogantly boasted, making Piccolo's antennae twitch in annoyance.

Gohan's staggering assault was soon cut off, however, when Avocado fired a fierce Ki blast at him, blowing him back several feet. He nailed a ferocious punch to Gohan's jaw, causing the half-breed to fall flat on the ground. Avocado bent down to pick Gohan up, but was met with a kick right between the eyes. Gohan sprung back up to his feet and fired a blast of his own at Avocado, but the monster swatted it away once again. Gohan gulped, but then flew high into the sky. Avocado flew after him, so Gohan responded by firing off a flurry of Ki blasts to distract him. What he wasn't counting on, however, was Avocado nullifying each and last one with a pressure wave generated from his Ki.

"Goddammit!" Gohan shouted as Avocado flew at him at an even greater pace. Thinking quickly, Gohan flew back down to the ground to throw Avocado off, and as soon as he landed fired a Ki blast at his face. Luckily for him, it hit dead-on and sprung Avocado into the sky. Gohan gasped for air, as his attacks were expending more energy than he could handle. He was quickly sprung back into action, however, when Avocado jumped right back in front of him, making the ground shake from how hard his feet hit the grassy surface. The purple monster didn't seem to be harmed at all.

"I gotta say, this is fun! Your attacks tickle so much!"

Gohan furiously growled and swung his fist at Avocado, but the monster grabbed his arm and used it pull it towards him, landing a knee right to his jaw. Gohan let out a choked scream, as the strike very nearly shattered his jaw on impact. Avocado then backhanded across the face, the force being so strong that it made Gohan feel like he was in a completely different dimension. Avocado gave Gohan a fierce kick to the sternum that sent the boy flying back dozens of feet. He phased in right in front of Gohan and grabbed his head, hooking him into a facelock.

"Did I ever tell you that one of my favorite pass times in my split forms is watching pro wrestling?" Avocado amusedly asked. He used his free hand to grab Gohan's tights at the side of his leg. "They call this move the _suplex!_"

Avocado effortlessly lifted Gohan up so he was hanging upside down in his grip above him. The purple beast then jumped up and flopped down, brutally slamming Gohan on his back into the ground. Gohan shrieked in pain; his back felt like it was on fire. He lifted his head in attempt to stand, and Avocado assisted him, grabbing him by his wild hair. He lifted Gohan up and then bent him over, shoving his head between his legs.

"And _this_ is called the powerbomb!"

Avocado hooked Gohan by the waist and then then flipped him up so he was at a seated position on his shoulders. However, Gohan raised his fists up and clenched them together, and then slammed them straight down onto his head. Avocado screamed curses as Gohan jumped off of his shoulders and kicked him squarely in the crotch. Avocado doubled over in raw pain as Gohan wrapped his furry tail around his neck. He used it to swing around behind the large warrior and ruthlessly drive his knee into his spine. The vicious attack sent Avocado flying forward, and he sunk to the ground in a pained heap.

Avocado growled in anger; that one actually _hurt_! This Saiyan definitely was a kid capable of taking out Dodoria. Avocado sprung back up to his feet and dusted his armor off, shooting the other three warriors with a fearsome smirk. He flew backwards at Gohan. The half-Saiyan raised a forearm, blocking the elbow that came his way, but even _that_ cracked a few bones. Avocado spun around and kicked Gohan in the jaw, sending him flying high up into the sky. Avocado followed his ascent and upon catching up to Gohan, fisted a handful of his hair. He drove his fist into his stomach several times, grinning in satisfaction as he saw blood spit out from Gohan's mouth. He let go of Gohan's hair and then smashed both of his forearms into Gohan's upper back, knocking him straight down.

Gohan hit the ground hard, but hotheadedly made an attempt to rise back to his feet mere seconds after. The half-breed was well-aware that he was completely in over his head, but whatever it took to survive, he was going to do. He finally rose back up, stumbling around as he did. Avocado methodically floated back to the ground, arms folded across his broad chest.

"Tell me, Gohan – you don't _really_ think you can win, right?" Avocado snickered.

Gohan spat at the ground and flashed an insane looking smirk. "Not really, but that still won't stop me from doing something like _this_!" In a flash, Gohan lifted his arm and fired a deadly Ki blast right in Avocado's face, completely catching him off guard. Avocado flew back several feet, and then Gohan phased in right above him and punched him right down to the ground. Moving as fast as he could, Gohan flew up high and then rocketed back downward, driving his feet right into Avocado's bloated stomach. He lifted the purple warrior's large legs up and used them as leverage to swing him into a cliff far off in the distance.

Gohan pulled his arms back and cuffed his hands together, gathering his Ki. "Ka…Me…Ha…Me…"

The cliff Avocado flew into exploded into thousands of tiny pieces, giving Gohan the only confirmation he needed.

**"HAAAAA!"**

Gohan fired the deadly blue Ki wave, triggering an even greater explosion. Goku, Piccolo, and Vegeta shielded their eyes from the blast. Once the light and smoke faded, they turned their attention to Gohan.

"Awesome job, son! Keep it up!" Goku encouraged.

Gohan turned to look at his father and stared blankly for a few seconds. His father just praised him. He felt an odd feeling of pride swell up in his chest. As much as the thought repulsed him, he was a tad relieved that his father hadn't rejected him for what he had become. Gohan shook his head in agitation. Where the hell was this affection coming from? He sure as hell didn't feel such a connection when he first landed on this mudball. Even when he first saw Goku again, he didn't feel any sort of happiness. Why were all of these feelings starting to come to the surface?

Gohan's musings were cut off, however, when he heard an unearthly roar that made his heart pound. Avocado came flying out from the smoke, stopping just a few feet in front of Gohan. He was giving him a scowl that spelled murder.

"That's it, brat, this has gone on long enough! It's about time I got you out of Lord Frieza's hand once and for all!" Avocado dangerously snarled.

Gohan swallowed heavily in his throat. Faster than his eyes could see, Avocado barreled at him, unceremoniously ramming all of his weight into him. Gohan could practically feel his bones crumbling as Avocado drove him into a cliff, stopping just short of destroying it. He grabbed Gohan by the hair and viciously laid into the half-Saiyan, caving him further into the cliff with each nasty attack he landed. Each attack made Gohan feel like he was in a plane crash.

Avocado roughly grabbed his head with both of his hands. "I never did get the chance to show you that powerbomb, did I?"

The purple monster roughly pulled Gohan away from the cliff, shoved his head between his legs, and flipped him up once again. This time, he ferociously slammed Gohan back-first into the ground so hard it exploded on impact, forming a small crater. Gohan was convulsing in pain, having never been slammed so hard in his life. The pain jolted throughout his body, making his arms jerk involuntarily.

Even Piccolo cringed at the brutal move. Goku felt his heart drop. "Damn…I don't think Gohan can keep this up any longer."

Vegeta's left eye twitched as he looked on. He was running out of options, and fast.

Avocado sinisterly laughed as he stalked towards Gohan. He lifted the twelve year old up by the collar of his suit, letting him hang in his grip. "Whelp, I think that's just about it. I'd show you more wrestling moves, but I think it'd be pretty redundant at this point." Avocado raised his free hand and pointed it at Gohan's chest. It began glowing with a deadly amount of Ki. "So long, Go-"

He was cut off by a nasty Ki blast right to his back, knocking him down face first and causing him to drop Gohan out of his grip.

Vegeta was standing just a few feet away, with one trembling arm raised. The attack was entirely reactionary on his part; it was the only thing he thought made sense, really. Though he told himself that it was just to catch Avocado off guard, in the back of his mind, he knew that he wanted to save Gohan.

"Nice shot, _runt_," Piccolo snidely congratulated.

Vegeta ignored him, focusing entirely on the purple monstrosity that was slowly rising to his feet. He turned around and looked at Vegeta with pure, unadulterated, anger.

"Why you sneaky little son of a bitch! Get me while my back is turned, huh? Well, you're going to pay for that!" Avocado snarled.

Before Vegeta could even get on his heel to jump, Avocado flew right in front of him and slammed his knee into his stomach. Vegeta flew back many feet, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop. Vegeta broke into a fit of harsh coughs, feeling blood rising to his esophagus. Aside from a couple of "punishments" from Frieza, that was the hardest hit he ever took in his life.

Goku and Piccolo shuddered before glancing at each other. Goku weakly smirked. "Guess it's just you and me, huh?"

"You're making it very tempting for me to just chop your head off and take this guy for myself," Piccolo snorted, though he was more amused than anything.

"Yikes, feeling pretty grim, are we?"

Piccolo shook his head. "I actually _do_ have an idea, but it's way too risky of a gamble."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Shoot."

Piccolo took a deep breath. "You know the attack – the Special Beam Cannon."

Goku gasped in surprise. That attack certainly rang a bell; Piccolo had tried to use it on him numerous times over the last eight years. He actually managed to impale his shoulder with it once.

"Do you think it'll be strong enough? This guy seem way too powerful." Goku nervously asked, watching as Avocado stalked towards Vegeta.

"Look, Goku; he may be able to bounce off a blast with no effort, but I sincerely doubt he'll be able to take a beam through the heart," Piccolo argued. "That's why it's risky. I'd have to make my aim _precise_, and that's way too difficult. Trust me; I have enough experience in trying to catch _you _with it to go off of."

Goku laughed in response. "Yeah, it would be pretty tough to narrow it down," he said falling into thought. Goku took a deep breath when he came to realization about what he would have to do. Goku turned to his arch nemesis and smirked. "Don't worry, I got you covered."

"What do you mean?" Piccolo asked curiously.

"Just charge the attack while I try to pin this guy down," Goku directed, sweat trailing down his forehead as he tried to maintain his cool.

"If you say so…"

Goku clenched his fists tightly and made a mad dash at Avocado just as he was about to pick Vegeta up. Avocado lifted his head and then smirked in amusement over the latest challenge. However, to his surprise, Goku phased out of sight. Avocado looked around the area, trying to pick up some sort of sign of the wild-haired Saiyan. He was then caught by surprise, as Goku reappeared behind him and fired an energy blast at his back, exacerbating the pain from Vegeta's sneak attack. Wasting no time, Goku flew at him again and drove his knee into the beast's pine, and then drove his forearm into Avocado's shoulder to force him to the ground. Goku then frantically hooked Avocado's arms, slamming his knee into his spine and pushing it there as he did. He looked up at Piccolo, who was already charging the attack. His middle and index finger were pointed at his head, glowing with a bright yellow Ki as sparks were flaring around them.

"DO IT, PICCOLO!"

"You crazy son of a bitch," Piccolo marveled with a sinister grin. "I'm killing two birds with one stone with this attack!

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

Piccolo fired. Avocado was stunned, not expecting any of what had just occurred. Before he even had a chance to process what was happening, the bright, yellow spiraling beam fired from the Namekian hit him right in the left side of his chest, effortlessly breaking through his armor and piercing through his chest, getting his heart along the way and flying out from his back.

Goku flinched. The beam hit him just the same, piercing his heart. Goku spat out a mouthful of blood as he let go of Avocado, falling to the ground. His vision was fading in and out as his body began desperately racing to try and keep him alive, though it was a wasted effort.

Vegeta and Gohan couldn't even believe what had just happened. How the hell had those two even managed to scrap together such an effort, and so quickly? They both looked at Avocado, who was weakly convulsing, spitting out blood. After a few moments, the convulsing stopped. Vegeta could no longer sense the man's Ki.

"He did it…"

Vegeta slowly rose back to his feet and walked over to where Avocado and Goku were laying, as if to confirm their deaths. While Avocado lay there lifeless, Goku was somehow still fighting, shaking and desperately clinging to consciousness.

Vegeta couldn't help but smirk. "What a fool."

To his surprise, Goku weakly laughed, spitting out more blood as he did. "W-well…you know what they say…whatever…it takes…"

Gohan limped over to where his father was lying. His back was aching, but he was nonetheless standing. He watched his father as he convulsed weakly, still having a goofy smile on his face even in his last moments. His face was almost completely white, and covered in sweat. Gohan felt an immense amount of respect for his father right then. The half-Saiyan realized that he never would have been able to defeat Avocado, unlike Goku. His father may have been dumb, but he was selfless enough to do the deed at the cost of his life.

"So…this…is what dying feels like, huh? N-now I know how Krillin feels," Goku joked.

Gohan and Vegeta snorted in disgust. How could the third class fool be so cheerful, even in death? However, that wasn't important: Avo and Cado were dead. The two Saiyans didn't have any major threats to worry about for the moment, which meant they could now focus on one thing – the Dragon Balls.

Vegeta turned to face Piccolo, who was walking over to them. "Alright, Namekian, it's time to start talking. How the hell do we get the Dragon Balls?"

Piccolo smirked and folded his arms across his chest. "How the hell am I supposed to know? The Dragon Balls can be scattered anywhere on this planet," he scoffed. "To my understanding, Goku knows a woman who has radar for that sort of thing, so you should go and ask her and get the hell out of my face," Piccolo warned, threatening bloodshed with every syllable.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Piccolo. "You're _so_ lucky your worthless life is tied to those Dragon Balls," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Piccolo gave Vegeta a deadly glare. "You're in no position to start with your humorous posturing. I can tell you're still reeling from that attack earlier."

Vegeta took a threatening step forward, his tail waving at a dangerous pace behind him. "Oh? Are you really willing to wager that?"

Piccolo was seriously considering answering Vegeta's challenge until he felt a few Ki signals approaching. Thankfully, they were all weak; they most likely belonged to Goku's friends. The Namekian smirked in anticipation of seeing the looks on their faces when they saw what was left of Goku.

"You might want to stop acting so reckless, Saiyan. If I'm right, that woman with the radar is on her way here as we speak," Piccolo stated, tilting his head to the sky.

Vegeta followed Piccolo's direction, indeed sensing several Ki signatures headed towards them. Three of them were above average by human standards, but utterly pathetic compared to him.

Bulma was piloting her jet as it continued flying through the sky. Yamcha suddenly sprung up, pointing at the map on the control panel. "Over there, I can feel them! Three of the Ki signals are still there, but another one is fading."

Master Roshi and Krillin looked out the window, squinting to get a better look. "Hmm…I can make out bodies. Three are standing, two are fallen," Master Roshi observed, tilting his shades.

"Well, let's just hurry and get down there," Yamcha turned to his currently "off" girlfriend. "Bulma?"

Bulma nodded, thrusting the control she was holding forward to send the jet downward onto the grassy terrain. When they landed, she opened up the cockpit and along with Yamcha, hurriedly jumped out of the plane to the area of the battle. She barely walked a few feet before stopping dead in her tracks and paling at the sight before her.

"Oh my…"

"GOKU!" Krillin shouted, desperately running over to his fallen friend, not even noticing the three other figures.

Yamcha and Bulma stood still in fear. "Oh my God," Bulma murmured, "Don't tell me Piccolo and those Saiyans teamed up and killed Goku…!"

Krillin desperately grabbed Goku's hand, trying to will him back up. The smoking wound over his chest seemed to be fatal, but that didn't deter his efforts to save his best friend. He was caught off guard when he overheard Goku's _laughter_.

"Goku…?"

Krillin looked at Goku's face; it was a mess of blood, but he was actually smiling. "K-Krillin…dying sure does suck, huh?"

"Don't say that Goku, you're gonna live!" Krillin determined, squeezing on Goku's hand harder.

Goku weakly laughed again, fighting through his convulsions. "I…I don't think I'm gonna make it this time, Krillin…"

All eyes, even those of Gohan, Piccolo, and Vegeta, turned to Goku when they felt his Ki fall down to nothing. Goku's eyes slid shut, his weak convulsions ceased, and his head tilted over to the side. The smile never left his face.

"_GOKU!"_

Gohan squeezed his fists tightly. He felt a sense of loss as he watched his father die. He had barely known the man, the memories of before he was taken away by Raditz mostly nothing but faint pictures that Gohan could hardly attach himself to. But Goku was still his _father_, and it slightly pained him to see him go. He had offered to help him, and died selflessly in doing so.

Piccolo sighed. He did it. After over a decade of excruciating trials, he had finally killed that overly cheerful, wild-haired son of a bitch. The Namekian had finally won the revenge of his father and the entire Demon Clan. More importantly, the world was now his for the taking, as soon as he got Gohan and Vegeta out of the way.

And yet, Piccolo felt…nothing.

No sense of victory, or even an inkling of satisfaction. It was, to be quite frank, a cheap death. Sure he did it, but it was by Goku's choice. The bastard went out the same way he always was – as a hero. In fact, Piccolo felt a sense of loss. Though he would never admit it, and would choke the life out of anyone who suggested it, he had grown to deeply respect Goku during his trials and tribulations. He wanted to give Goku an _honorable_ death at the end of a fierce battle, not one that he signed himself up for to defeat another threat.

Krillin slowly stood back up, true rage filling his eyes as he directed his gaze to Piccolo. "_You_…you did this, didn't you, Piccolo?"

Piccolo snorted in disgust, still coming to grips with what had just occurred. "Take a good look at the disgusting abomination right beside him, you moron!"

The bewildered group of friends looked at the corpse of Avocado, cringing in disgust. "What…is that…?" Bulma asked.

"Your idiotic friend so _nobly_ decided to sacrifice himself to take this big bastard out," Piccolo said, his voice dejected. "So yes, I did do this, but it was Son Goku's decision."

Krillin absent-mindedly nodded, before turning to look at the Saiyan from earlier. He looked exhausted, and part of his armor was damaged. He turned even further to look at Vegeta's companion; _he_ looked like he had just been through a war. However, there was something about him that looked familiar.

"So there's another Saiyan, huh?" Krillin remarked.

Gohan let out a few harsh coughs before studying Goku's friends. The bald man, the old guy, and the girl with blue hair all looked familiar to him. He recognized them from the day Raditz kidnapped him, though he couldn't pinpoint their names for the life of him.

Bulma looked at this new addition closely. His pale skin and long, spiky hair looked so familiar. Just where did this kid come from?

She, Master Roshi, and Krillin all realized it at the same time, collectively gasping.

Krillin was the first one to speak up, twitching from the level of surprise coursing through him. "Wait…don't tell me! Y-you're…you're…?"

Gohan snorted in annoyance. "Yes, I'm Son Gohan."

Bulma, Master Roshi, and Krillin, or any of the new arrivals for that matter, couldn't contain their shock. The three remembered that day so clearly. They remembered Goku's meek, polite son, who was so ruthlessly snatched away from him by his own brother and then swooped off of the planet entirely. This was _him_? He had become this hardened warrior, gazing at them with cold, empty eyes?

"Whoa, so _this_ is Goku's kid, huh? I heard about him but this is the first time I've seen him," Yamcha remarked, observing his appearance. "You look just like him, too."

Master Roshi shook his head. This was definitely that other Ki he was feeling from before. He had dismissed the conclusion earlier, as he was sure that Gohan was dead. The Dragon had basically told them such a fact. And not only that, but he found it hard to believe that the son of _Goku_ could be taken in by those Saiyans and turned into a ruthless, heartless warrior. But from the looks of it, that's precisely what happened.

While the humans were busy marveling over Gohan, Vegeta went off and looked for the scouters Avo and Cado dropped before merging. If he was going to take _any_ course of action, he was going to have to know what Frieza was going to do next. And while he was at it, he was going to rub another _failure_ in his face.

Vegeta stopped when he found a familiar purple glass device lying in the grass. Vegeta picked it up and dusted it off before placing it over his ear. He pressed a button to turn it on, and then pressed it a few more times to find the transmission connection he was looking for.

Vegeta smirked mischievously and folded his arms over his armor. "I bet this is the last voice you ever expected to hear from _this_ scouter, huh Frieza?"

"What…Vegeta?" Frieza's distinct voice rang in. "What are you doing on Cado's scouter, monkey prince?"

"I just thought it'd be polite to inform you that Avo and Cado are _dead,_" Vegeta smoothly reported. He snickered when he overheard the familiar sound of glass shattering, undoubtedly from a cup of wine being held in the tyrant's hand.

"Surely you're telling a delusional joke, Saiyan."

"You really think so, Frieza? I think you're the only one who's delusional here," Vegeta replied, trying to contain his laughter. "Avo and Cado are dead, whether you like it or not. Letting Kakarot slip under the rug was yet another item on the long list of careless mistakes you've committed, _Lord_ Frieza."

With a bone-chilling scowl on his face, Frieza sat restlessly in his black floating chair in the confines of his flagship, making Zarbon wince uncomfortably. In a sudden flash or rage, Frieza fired a beam at a poor henchman that just so happened to be in the room, killing him in an instant.

_"DAMN YOU, YOU PIECE OF SAIYAN TRASH!"_

Frieza's frighteningly shrill shriek made Zarbon and everyone else within earshot cringe in horror. Never had they seen their overlord so enraged before. The lizard tyrant was so angry he was trembling, nearly breaking his scouter he was holding it so tightly.

"I have had it up to _here_ with you disgusting monkeys!" Frieza snarled. "You have signed your death warrant, Vegeta."

Though Frieza's voice never ceased to irritate him, Vegeta could only laugh obnoxiously. He was more than proud that he and Gohan were exposing Frieza for the spoiled little brat he truly was, whining and shrieking when things didn't go his way. "Oh my, if I weren't mistaken, I'd wager that you sound…_angry_, Lord Frieza!"

"It's over, Vegeta. You better not get used to the comfort of whatever planet you're on. It pisses me off to no end, but you have forced my hand. Now _I'm_ coming for you," Frieza declared. "And I'm not just bringing myself. I'm bringing as much of my army as I can summon. Let's see if you can handle an _invasion_, Saiyan."

"Oh, is that so? Do your worst, Frieza," Vegeta bit back with utmost confidence. "Gohan and I will take whatever you can dish out and topple them, just as we've done numerous times thus far."

"I wouldn't be so confident, Vegeta," Frieza ominously warned. The transmission disconnected.

Vegeta pressed the button to turn the scouter off. He turned around and flew over to where Gohan and the others were.

"Oh, there you are, Vegeta," Gohan said.

Vegeta smirked and folded his arms over his chest once more. "Well, looks like we've finally set Frieza off. Now _he's_ coming. And he's bringing practically his whole army with him."

"His whole army?" Gohan nervously asked, sweat trailing down his forehead. He knew Frieza would be coming after them now, but he wasn't counting on a full scale _invasion_. What the hell was he going to do about something like that?

"Which brings us to our next order of business," Vegeta said, turning to Goku's group of friends. "The Dragon Balls?"

Krillin stepped forward and shook his head. "Wait a minute, lets rewind to the beginning – _WHAT? _Who in the world is Frieza? And why is he bringing an army with him?"

Gohan sighed in boredom. "There's a reason why I've retreated to this planet, and it wasn't to meet _you_ weaklings again. See this guy, here?" Gohan pointed his finger at the corpse of Avocado. "He's one of the elite soldiers that Frieza sent after me and Vegeta. He's afraid of our potential and wants us dead. And now, that fearsome son of a bitch is coming to us. We don't stand a chance in hell at defeating them, and that is why we need the Dragon Balls to wish for immortality, so that he can never kill us, and that our victory will be assured."

Yamcha and Krillin could only shake their heads, trying to process everything they were just told. However, Bulma stood firm, stepping towards Vegeta and Gohan. "You guys don't need the Dragon Balls if getting stronger is the problem."

All eyes turned to Bulma. Vegeta and Gohan blinked at her a few times, looking at the blue haired woman as if she just sprouted a second head. "What the hell are you talking about, woman?" Vegeta barked.

"Do I have to repeat myself? I _said_ you don't need the Dragon Balls, in case you weren't listening!" Bulma snapped, placing her hands on her hips and fixing Vegeta with a mean glare.

Vegeta growled and raised a shaking hand, ready to tear the woman's head off. _Nobody_ back talked him like that and lived, especially not a pathetic human. Bulma flinched, although it was Gohan of all people who grabbed Vegeta's wrist to restrain him.

"Wait, Vegeta," Gohan pressed. "I'm interested in what she has to say. Remember how every now and then, I'd bring up a female from here that was gifted in technology? _This_ is that woman."

Vegeta let out an agitated hiss before lowering his wrist and folding his arms back over his chest, though he gave Bulma a cold stare, that made Bulma slump her shoulders in intimidation. "Well? Tell us whatever ridiculous idea you have to offer us."

Bulma took a deep breath, trying to choose her words carefully and control her tone so as not to set off the flame-haired Saiyan's temper. "Well, first I need to know how long it will take this Frieza guy to arrive here. It'd be a good frame of reference if I had an idea of how long you guys' trip took."

Gohan frowned, deep in thought. He had been in a gas-induced sleep the whole time, but he could tell from his slight growth in height that he had been in there for quite a while.

"Five months, two weeks, and four days," Vegeta dully replied.

Bulma nodded. "I see…I can't really do anything until I know the precise day Frieza would arrive, though." Before she could say anything else, Vegeta roughly tossed his scouter at her. The purple device hit her right in the shoulder, eliciting an annoyed yelp from the blue-haired genius. She glared at Vegeta for his rudeness before bending down to pick it up. "And just what is this for?"

"You're apparently skilled in technology. Use that device to pinpoint Frieza's location and calculate how long his trip will take," Vegeta gruffly ordered. "Now, what's this idea you have that apparently will reduce the need for the Dragon Balls?"

"I know ways to enhance you guys' training so you could get ridiculously stronger in a short period of time," Bulma explained with a confident smirk. "That's how Goku's gotten so strong over the years."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Maybe this woman was right – if Goku was able to go from a positively pathetic level of 334, to upwards of 20,000 over the course of eight years, who knew what kinds of possibilities would be in store for an elite like him? "Okay, now I'm interested – explain, woman."

"I could build you two a room that would allow you to manipulate the level of gravity for you to train under. The limit I had for Goku's space ship was 150 times, but if you two need it, I can set it to levels even higher than that," Bulma explained, her tone swimming with arrogance. She was a genius, after all, and she had the right to be proud of her great expertise.

Gohan and Vegeta glanced at each other, as if silently conversing over this new discovery. Gohan turned his attention to Bulma again. "And how do I know you're not lying to keep us from getting the Dragon Balls?"

"Well, if you don't believe me, just follow me to my house!" Bulma argued.

Before Gohan could respond, however, he and everyone else were taken aback by an odd occurrence. Goku's body…it _disappeared!_

"Wait…what the hell?" Krillin exclaimed. "Where did Goku's body go?"

Piccolo bitterly laughed. "It must've been Kami's doing. That old bastard must be snooping in on our conversation and decided to take matters into his own hands."

"Oh, I see…" Krillin replied. "And just what will you be doing, anyway?"

Piccolo's cape and turban magically reappeared over him before he responded, "What the hell do you think, Krillin? There's a powerful intergalactic emperor sending an army to destroy the world _I_ plan on taking over. I expect one of you to inform me of how long it will take for Frieza to arrive so I can vigorously train towards that day." Piccolo turned around a few steps forward before exploding his Ki around him. He looked over his shoulders at the crew. "Until then, I'm leaving. I feel like I'm going to vomit just from standing in the presence of you vermin." With that, Piccolo flew off.

"Good riddance," Yamcha snorted.

Yamcha turned to talk to Bulma, but he only saw her for all of two seconds before Vegeta roughly grabbed her by the arm and flew off, Gohan following his lead. He was about to fly after Vegeta, until Master Roshi stopped him.

"Don't do anything foolish, Yamcha. I don't think they'll hurt her, anyway," Master Roshi advised.

Bulma frantically tried to loosen herself from Vegeta's grip, but it was iron tight. "What the hell are you doing, you crazy idiot?" she shrieked.

"Tell me the location of your house so I can inspect the validity of your claims," Vegeta harshly demanded.

"You really don't believe me?" Bulma yelled, trying to block the wind blowing in her face. "You could at least be more polite about it, you ass!"

Vegeta snorted in annoyance. This blue-haired female was already driving him to the limits of his patience.

Gohan followed Vegeta's pace. He now had a deadline to work towards. Though he was skeptical about Bulma's gravity room or whatever the hell it was, he was open to any idea that would ensure total victory over Frieza without giving him a hassle.

He now had no time to waste.


	15. The Training Begins

"…and so _that_ is why I have brought him forth here, sir. Now, then, does he have your permission to travel to King Kai's planet, King Yemma?"

The large, pink man clad in a spiffy business suit, wearing a hat with large, ivory horns protruding from it sat at his desk, his eyes focused on the book in his massive hands. "I see; this man, Son Goku, is indeed quite the person. He certainly has amassed enough achievements to be eligible to not only pass to heaven, but retain his body as well. But still, Kami, _Snake Way_? Are you sure he'll be able to handle such a trip?"

King Yemma rested his shoulder on his unorganized mahogany desk, glancing at the two figures standing down below him, both looking like ants compared to his immense stature. The old, green Namekian, Kami, spoke up.

"I am absolutely sure, sir," Kami stressed, placing his hand on the shoulder of Goku, who was staring at King Yemma in awe. His clothes were completely fixed up, and his scrapes and cuts were cleared from his body. Above his head was a halo, signifying his dead state.

Goku turned his head to Kami. "So, does _everyone_ come here when they die or something, Kami?"

"Indeed, Goku," Kami replied.

"Even aliens?"

Kami sighed in annoyance. "_You're _obviously here, aren't you? All deceased beings across the universe come here to receive their eternal judgment, where they are sent either to heaven, or to hell."

Goku nodded in understanding and turned around and looked at the long line behind him. Millions of white, flame-like clouds were floating a few feet above the floor, waiting for their judgment, while several blue ogres dressed in business attire were yelling at them through their megaphones, usually reprimanding spirits that attempted to cut in line.

Goku turned his attention back to Yemma. "So I guess some guy named Avocado showed up here, too, huh?"

King Yemma arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Avocado? I recall two beings coming here that individually had both parts of that name, if that's what you mean. I sent them straight to hell, of course."

"Oh, is that so? Did they try to fight it?" Goku curiously asked.

King Yemma dropped his pencil and arrogantly folded his arms over his massive chest. "Oh yes, they were a bit of a hassle, but I cleaned their clocks with ease!"

Goku's eyes widened in amazement. "Oh wow, you must be pretty strong!"

King Yemma waved a dismissive hand at Goku, nearly blowing him and Kami back with a breeze. "Please, please," he said with a smirk, feigning modesty.

Goku looked at Kami excitedly. "Oh man, I wanna get trained by _this_ guy instead!"

"Goku, don't talk so loudly!" Kami reprimanded. He slumped his shoulders, mumbling, "Besides, King Kai is stronger than him, anyway."

King Yemma raised an eyebrow, giving Kami a mischievous grin. "You do realize that I heard that, right?"

Kami jumped up in surprise and frantically waved his hands around in fear. "O-oh my; sorry, great King Yemma! I forgot, your immense ears can pick up anything!" Kami's eyes billowed up and he smacked both of his hands over his mouth, realizing his slip-up. "Goodness, my apologies! You know what I meant…"

"Save it, Kami," King Yemma dully replied. "Anyway, Goku can go if he wants to do it so badly. Just wait for a guide at the side entrance. And as a disclaimer, Other World Management holds absolutely no responsibility over what may occur on Snake Way, understood?"

Goku hastily nodded. "Yeah! And thanks!"

Goku walked straight ahead to the entrance, and then stopped to look over his shoulder at Kami. "See ya later, Kami! Tell Mr. Popo I said hi!"

Kami nodded. "Best wishes, Goku."

Goku gave a thumbs-up before turning around and running out of the entrance. Kami sighed and frowned thoughtfully. _Earth is facing a crisis the likes of which it never has before. Not even I am sure we will survive this in one piece. Who knows just how much Goku will improve under King Kai's training? We may have to pin our hopes on the Saiyans; and even then, who knows what **they** would do after defeating Frieza? This very troubling inde-_

"SHUT THE _HELL_ UP, KAMI!" King Yemma barked, startling Kami out of his wits. "For the love of me, do you really have to _think_ so loudly, too?"

Goku was sitting in the back seat of a car being driven by one of King Yemma's ogres, anxiously awaiting his arrival at the entrance of Snake Way. Kami had informed him of the impending invasion from those terrible men after Gohan and Vegeta's lives, and he was going to do whatever he could to prepare for it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Son Goku! I will be your tour guide!" the driver greeted. "Snake Way is quite the trip. Are you feeling well?"

"Well, aside from being _dead_, yeah, I guess," Goku flatly replied, pressing his hands against the window as he looked at the pink sky and yellow clouds of Other World. "What's this King Kai guy like, anyway?"

"King Kai is the highest deity in your quadrant of the universe, of course!" the ogre replied with enthusiasm.

The car came to a stop, just in front of a large, stone sculpture of a snake's head. Goku jumped out of the car, his eyes widening when he saw the massive trail extending from the head. It seemed to go on endlessly. "Man, just how long is this thing?"

"Legend has it that it's over 600,000 miles," the ogre explained.

"600,000 miles," Goku repeated, falling into thought. "That's actually pretty easy, now that I think about it."

The ogre blinked in astonishment. "_Easy?_ Nobody has managed to travel down this road in over a hundred million years! Only King Yemma himself has done it!"

"Nah, it's pretty easy," Goku argued, stepping up to the top of the snake head. "Heck, just give me a few _hours_, and I'll be able to finish it."

The ogre shook his head, just chalking Goku's words up to arrogance. "Regardless, just make sure you don't fall off of the road and into the clouds. That will send you down to hell, and there's _no_ escaping from that."

Goku nodded. "I see. Man, I should've brought a lunch with me or something."

"Well, seeing as how you're dead, I don't think you would get particularly hungry, sir," the ogre informed, growing increasingly astonished with this unique attendant.

Goku was about to leap forward, until he remembered something. "Oh yeah, and can you do me a favor? You know of Fortuneteller Baba, right?"

"Oh, her? Indeed, she drops in a lot," the ogre replied with a nod.

"Oh, okay, good. Next time she comes around, can you tell her to inform her brother, Master Roshi, not to wish me back to life until whenever this Frieza guy arrives?" Goku asked. The ogre pulled out a notebook and wrote down Goku's request, repeating the key words as he scribbled them.

"That will be no problem, sir," he replied.

Goku nodded and then clapped both of his hands together. "Well then, I guess I'm off!" Goku jumped up and exploded his Ki around him before flying off into the sky. "See ya!"

The ogre could only blink in shock. "That's cheating…"

* * *

><p>Vegeta, carelessly holding Bulma with only one arm, drew in closer to West City, ignoring Bulma's constant wailing about how loose his grip was on her arm. The prince's eyes narrowed in focus when he saw a large, yellow domed building coming in closer in his line of sight. He looked down at Bulma. "Is this the place?"<p>

Bulma weakly turned her head around to where Vegeta was looking. "Y-yeah, just stop here."

Vegeta flew down to the yellow building, Gohan following him. He landed on the grass in the front yard and unceremoniously tossed Bulma out of his grip. Bulma hit the ground with a loud thud and let out a loud shriek of pain, making Gohan and Vegeta flinch. She quickly got up and dusted her clothes off, panting heavily in exhaustion from Vegeta's rough handling of her.

"You've got some nerve, jackass! You shouldn't toss someone as delicate as me around like that, you know!" Bulma seethed, glaring at Vegeta.

Vegeta's left eye twitched in agitation over the fiery blue-haired female. "Just shut up and show me wherever this gravity room or whatever it's called is."

Bulma huffed and turned in the direction of her home. "Fine. Just wait here while I get the Capsule, okay?"

Vegeta and Gohan grunted, watching her as she walked into the entrance of the Capsule Corporation building. Gohan folded his arms over his chest and looked over at Vegeta. "So, do you think whatever this girl has for us will work?"

Vegeta frowned, folding his arms just the same as Gohan, though more tightly. "I'm not sure. If it doesn't, then we're definitely getting those damned Dragon Balls."

Gohan sighed. All of the things he and Vegeta were counting on for survival boiled down to far too many "ifs" for his liking. They had to be absolutely prepared for whatever Frieza dished out on them. Things like having to desperately escape from the Ginyu Force and fighting one-sided battles with Frieza's elites simply wasn't going to cut it anymore.

Bulma soon walked out from the Capsule Corp. building, holding a blue capsule in her hand. She pressed down on the cap at the top of it and tossed it to the ground. The capsule exploded into a massive, white, circular spaceship, one that had "CAPSULE CORPORATION 0" written on it in black letters. Vegeta and Gohan looked at the large structure with great interest.

"Just follow me, you two," Bulma directed, walking over to the ship. Vegeta and Gohan trailed after her, their eyes locked on the ship. Bulma pressed a button at the side of it, and the door at the front of the ship fell and gave way to a large ramp. Bulma jumped up to it and waved her hand at the Saiyans. "Come on in to check it out."

Vegeta and Gohan nodded and walked up the ramp. They stepped inside the ship, observing the expansive interior. It wasn't too terribly different from the ship Arepa used for them eight years prior, with room entrances in several places. The floor was a brick red color with tiles, and the walls were white. In the middle was a large, white pillar, with a control panel and black screen attached to it.

"So, what do you think?" Bulma asked, watching Gohan and Vegeta closely.

"Interesting…" Vegeta muttered, walking towards the control panel.

"This is the ship my father and I built for Goku so he could go out to space to…to…" Bulma's voice trailed off, as she tried to stop herself from bringing up what was surely a sore subject to Gohan.

"…to try and search for me?" Gohan concluded, his tone disinterested. Bulma blinked in surprise; he didn't seem to be affected by the subject at all.

"Well, uh…yeah," Bulma awkwardly replied. "Anyway, when I built the ship, I had to come up with a way to make this thing fast enough so that Goku's trip wouldn't take a ridiculously long time, but building an engine fast enough to do such a thing would have probably taken years to build, and to be quite frank, kiddo, we weren't sure if you had much time to live."

Gohan curtly nodded as Vegeta turned around, walking away from the control panel to where he and Bulma were talking. Bulma continued, "It was actually Goku of all people who came up with the idea – to use the space pod he landed on this planet in as a baby!"

"I see," Vegeta mumbled, nodding as he did. "I assume you used the parts as the basis for this ship?"

"Correct," Bulma replied. "Goku found the pod not too far from his home way off in the mountains. I inspected the engine's properties and noticed a couple of peculiarities. The engine seemed to have some mechanism that allowed it to adapt its speed to the gravity of whatever planet it landed on. When I looked even further to the mechanism, I noticed that its default settings were for a gravity level ten times greater than that of this planet. Were those the settings of your home planet…Vegeta, right?"

Vegeta nodded. "Indeed; Planet Vegeta had a high level of gravity so as to build up our bodies. That's probably why I felt so light upon landing on this pathetic planet."

Bulma briefly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's what I figured, too. We all knew that if Goku were to get Gohan back, he'd probably have to fight tooth-and-nail, so I built this ship so that Goku could train while he searched around. I built a gravity simulator so that he could train under conditions even greater than what Raditz was used to. Oh yeah, speaking of him, where is he? I figured he'd be with you guys, too."

"Probably dead," Vegeta bluntly replied.

Bulma's face paled. "Oh…I see," she awkwardly replied. "Well, yeah, that's it. I set the gravity simulator to 150 times that of this planet's gravity."

Vegeta nodded. Though his expression was normal, he was inwardly impressed with Bulma's level of technical genius. From the looks of it, Earth contained technology that while moderately serviceable, paled in comparison to the machines Frieza's empire employed. This woman's intelligence was clearly far beyond the norm. Perhaps she would be of great use to him.

Gohan was both listening to Bulma's explanation and observing the various gadgets lying within the ship. Though Gohan was focused solely on power during his servitude under Frieza, his mother's efforts into making him a scholar never completely faded away from the half-Saiyan. He found himself tinkering with a lot of the Cold Empire's gadgets when he wasn't training or going on a mission, as technology greatly interested him. This ship was definitely extremely high-end, and impressive.

Vegeta walked back over to the control panel, and looked at the buttons closely. "Get out, woman," he gruffly ordered.

Bulma's brows furrowed in irritation and she gave Vegeta a hard glare, even though his back was turned to her. "Excuse me? I don't know what sort of etiquette you've learned out in space, mister, but around here, we don't order people around in their own homes! I'll stay here as long as I want!"

"Well if you want your fragile female bones to be crushed by 150 times this planet's gravity, then that's fine by me," Vegeta dangerously snarled.

Bulma's eyes widened as the color drained from her face. "Oh…well, uh, I'm going now!" Bulma frantically turned on her heel and ran out of the ship, not wanting to tempt fate. She made sure to close the door just before she jumped out.

Vegeta looked over his shoulder at Gohan. "Brace yourself, kid." Gohan nodded and Vegeta pressed one of the buttons on the control panel. An automated voice went off:

_"Gravity simulator set to: maximum."_

Vegeta lifted his hand and stepped back, waiting for the simulator to go into action. The bright lights in the room faded into a dim red, and in an instant, a wave of immense pressure swept over Gohan and Vegeta, making them feel like an anvil was just dropped on them. The two Saiyans sank to their knees, as they were not accustomed to the intense weight bearing down on them.

"Y-yeah…I think…this works…" Gohan grit out, trying to fight back the tightening of his joints.

Vegeta gave Gohan a nod, which took an alarming amount of strength for him to do. He had felt enough; it was clear that the gravity simulator worked just as Bulma said it would. Vegeta crawled over to the control panel. It was a struggle, as with every inch he moved, it felt like all of the muscles in his body were going to tear. _I should've set it to a lower level first…_

Vegeta weakly raised his arm to the control panel and pressed the top right button. After a few seconds, the lights brightened back up and immense pressure melted away, causing Gohan and Vegeta to sink to the floor in a heap. However, as Vegeta lay on the floor, feeling like he had just been in the toughest fight of his life, he broke out into a fit of insane laughter. Yes, this was _definitely_ going to work. Training under such ridiculously harsh conditions would push his body beyond its limits. He was going to reach unforeseen levels of strength now.

Vegeta struggled up to his feet, his pain not being able to overcome the joy he was feeling now. Vegeta weakly walked to the entrance of the ship and pressed the button to open the door. Vegeta walked down the ramp and Gohan followed him. Bulma was standing on the grass, waiting for them.

"So, did it work properly?" Bulma asked, though judging from the weak looks on their faces and their ragged breathing, she already had the answer to that.

"Yes, it did, woman," Vegeta hoarsely replied. "We won't be n-needing…Dragon Balls, anymore."

Bulma's eyes lit up. "That's fantastic! I knew my genius would overcome those stupid things!"

Gohan opened his mouth to say something, but he soon overheard the sound of an engine rumbling. He looked to the sky and saw a jet approaching them, most likely being the one Bulma had been commandeering before. The jet landed to the ground and from it came Yamcha, Krillin, and the others.

"That's the last time I let Yamcha pilot anything," Krillin remarked in exasperation, getting a glare from Yamcha. "So, uh, what's up guys? Kinda relieved to see Bulma in one piece."

"I showed these guys the gravity room in the spaceship," Bulma said, pointing to the domed white structure. "They'll be training in there until Frieza arrives."

"Speaking of which, get to work on tracking Frieza's location so we can figure out how long it is until he arrives," Vegeta ordered. "I will give you instructions on a few key aspects of the scouter."

"Scouter?" Bulma asked in confusion. "Oh, you mean that purple thing," she said, digging through her pockets. She pulled out the purple lensed scouter left behind by Avocado. "Yeah, I'm gonna start working on cracking this baby soon."

"And before we start training, we're going to need some enhancements on the gravity room so we can push the simulator to higher levels," Gohan explained.

"Alright, I'll start working on that, too," Bulma replied. She frowned in though before looking at the two Saiyans and asking, "So, uh, what will you two be doing in the meantime, anyway?"

Vegeta wanted to say something, but to be frank, he really didn't know. He supposed he and Gohan could just wait around in the wilderness. What he really wanted to do was destroy a few cities for practice, but he figured that would cause way too much trouble than he cared to get involved with. Before he could respond, Bulma cut him off.

"Wait, don't bother. You two will be staying training here anyway, so you might as well get used to living here now!" Bulma brightly explained.

Vegeta raised a curious eyebrow. Being treated to hospitality certainly did sound much more preferable to going through the woods, doing God knows what. "I guess…"

Yamcha interrupted the proceedings. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, do you really trust these Saiyans, Bulma? I don't feel comfortable letting them stay here with you."

Vegeta took a threatening step forward, fixing Yamcha with a murderous glare. Gohan did the same; sure, Bulma was going to be needed for her technical expertise, but the rest of the humans were expendable as far as he was concerned.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Yamcha. I don't think they'll do anything to mess with the only refuge they have from this Freezer guy or whatever." Bulma narrowed her eyes at Yamcha. "And not only that, but you will call them by their names. I mean, geez, if you haven't noticed, one of them is _Goku's son_, for crying out loud!"

Everyone, including Gohan and Vegeta, looked at Bulma with confusion. Was she really sticking up for the Saiyans? Gohan and Vegeta quickly concluded that the blue-haired woman was quite insane. Gohan suddenly recalled occasions of his father telling him that Bulma was quite a bit of a handful.

Yamcha sighed and lowered his head in defeat. Bulma smirked and turned her attention back to the Saiyans. "Don't worry, guys, we have plenty of room here. I'm sure you're both big eaters like Goku, so we'll cook you a ton of food!" Bulma planted her hands on her hips and arrogantly smirked. "But I only have one condition: no matter how _ridiculously_ hot you think I am, you can't try anything naughty."

Vegeta and Gohan's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "W-what…?" Vegeta gasped out, utterly bewildered. "What a vulgar woman! To say something like that _out loud_!"

Bulma walked up to the Saiyans and then cringed, the stench of blood and sweat suddenly becoming very apparent. "Oh my God!" she shrieked, holding her nose. "Okay, first up, you two are gonna have to take a shower!"

Vegeta and Gohan rolled their eyes before growling in annoyance. Bulma turned around. "Here, follow me inside; I'll show you two around."

Vegeta and Gohan followed Bulma inside the compound without protest while the group of friends could only watch in astonishment. Screw Frieza; Bulma was the _real_ fearsome force for them to worry about.

Gohan and Vegeta looked around the interior of the building. It looked like an elaborate house, one with a kitchen far off in the distance and a living room with couches set up. Gohan and Vegeta immediately deduced that they were going to be living _far_ more comfortably than they did under Frieza.

"Pretty cool place, huh? Yeah, I know." Bulma arrogantly boasted. Vegeta rolled his eyes. As they were walking, a tall woman zipped up towards them. She had puffy, blonde hair, and for some reason, her eyes were perpetually shut. She had a goofy, aloof smile on her face that made Vegeta recoil in disgust.

"Oh, Bulma, honey, I thought you were having a cookout outside," the woman said, making Gohan and Vegeta flinch from the shrillness of her voice.

Bulma shook her head. "Oh, well-"

The woman interrupted Bulma, however, when she suddenly jumped right in front of Vegeta, making him stagger back. That smile on her face was absolutely _creepy_. "Oh my, is this your new boyfriend, Bulma? He's extremely handsome, and trendy, too!"

Vegeta's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "_B-boyfriend…?_"

"_MOM!_"

Bulma's mother merely laughed in response. "Now, now, Bulma, I'm just saying! You and Yamcha seem to break up every other week. It'd do you good to start seeing other men, _especially_ this rugged stud of a man right here," she said, turning back to Vegeta, who could only stare blankly. This damn woman somehow managed to make Frieza look _normal_!

"Whatever, mom," Bulma shrugged, walking past her. Vegeta lowered his eyes to the floor as he quickly followed her lead, practically feeling the woman's [non-existent?] gaze towards him. Gohan followed them as well, as Bulma's mother was creeping him out just as much.

"Hmm…that boy looks so familiar," she remarked.

"Sorry about that, my mom does that to everyone," Bulma said, shaking her head as she walked upstairs. Vegeta grunted in response. Bulma pointed to a few rooms on the far end of the hallway they were on. "Alright, there should be a couple of bathrooms down the hall."

Vegeta and Gohan nodded and followed the direction of her finger. Bulma watched them as they left, letting out a sigh. She still couldn't believe that the kid was _Gohan_, Goku's son who was kidnapped so long ago. The last thing she ever would have guessed was him actually being assimilated by those guys and becoming an ally to them. Shenron had told them in basic terms that Gohan was dead and strangely couldn't be revived, so how was he here now? Was he at one point beaten up so badly that his Ki couldn't be sensed? Bulma shook her head in exasperation; the universe was obviously a nasty place if it could harden such a bright young boy so substantially.

* * *

><p>Yamcha leaned back in chair, groaning as he looked at the bright daytime sky from the balcony rail. "Y'know, things were actually relatively peaceful until these Saiyans came around. Now we have to worry about these crazy alien invaders?"<p>

"Yeah, it's all pretty crazy," Krillin said, taking a sip of orange juice. "We're gonna have to start our own training if we want to live, too."

"Yeah, you're right," Yamcha conceded. "I just still can't get over Gohan. I never saw him, but I saw how much him being taken away devastated Goku. I was so sure he was dead."

"Yeah, I'll never forget that day on Master Roshi's island. He sure has changed a lot, though, wherever he was," Krillin remarked. "Did you get a feel of how _strong_ he is? He even overpowers that other flame-haired guy, Vegeta, and he's already pretty freakin' scary as it is!"

Bulma, who was standing at the grill, was listening in on their conversation. She gasped in surprise when she suddenly remembered something – Chi-Chi! Bulma turned around to the group as they sat at the table. "Guys, we're going to have _a lot_ to tell Chi-Chi now. She's going to eventually grow very suspicious of Goku's absence and come around here."

Krillin nearly spat his drink out. He instead swallowed it down at a great pace before spitting out, "Aw crap! How are we gonna tell her all of this? Not only is her husband now _dead_, but her son is back after eight years, too? That's a lot to pile up on a girl!"

Bulma bit her nails and frowned. "Yeah, I know…at the very least, we'll be able to wish Goku back with the Dragon Balls soon, so it's not _all _bad."

"Yeah, but I shudder to think of what her reaction will be to how much Gohan's changed," Master Roshi cut in.

The group sighed, trying weigh out their options. Their thoughts were cut off, however, when a gruff voice yelled out from behind the screen door to the balcony.

"Hey, uh, er…_Bullmoose_…! Bloomer…?" Vegeta yelled, trying to remember what the woman's name was before just deciding on, "WOMAN! Hand me a drying cloth!"

"There should be a towel hanging on the door, Vegeta!" Bulma called out. She heard an acknowledging grunt, and then seemed to look at the door expectantly. A smirk was slowly spreading on her face. She broke into a full on laugh when she heard the voices of both Gohan and Vegeta holler simultaneously:

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?"

Bulma laughed even louder and rushed into the laundry room to find a seething flame-haired Saiyan holding a pair of tight, yellow skinny jeans and a pink shirt that had "BADMAN" written on the back of it. "What the _hell_ have you done with my clothes?"

A few seconds later, Gohan came walking in, wearing a similar scowl on his face. "No seriously, what the hell is this?" The white t-shirt he was holding, he could handle. But the dark green overalls? Just from looking at it Gohan could tell they were way too small to fit him.

"Both of your sets of armor were pretty banged up and smelly, so I put them in the washing machine," Bulma said, trying to hold back her laughter. "Besides, you two will be staying on this planet for a while, so you might as well get adapted to the style of clothes."

Vegeta angrily hissed through his teeth. "Bullshit! Do you really expect _me_, the Prince of all Saiyans, to wear this pink monstrosity?"

"I may not be royalty, but as a Saiyan warrior, I'm not going to be lowered to this nonsense," Gohan added.

Bulma laughed at their plight. "Sorry kid, those are the only clothes I had in your size. Just _try_ them, you guys," she encouraged before turning around and going back to the balcony, laughing loudly to further anger them.

A few minutes later, Vegeta and Gohan came out wearing their new earth clothes, with murderous scowls fixed on their faces. Their tails punctuated their anger, waving back and forth at a frantic pace. Vegeta's yellow jeans were far too tight for his muscular legs, stiffening his movement. Gohan was wearing stupid looking green overalls that stopped high above his knees.

"I look like a goddamn_ flower!_" Vegeta hissed.

Though the two Saiyans still inspired fear in the humans, they couldn't help but laugh. Bulma walked up to the bewildered Saiyans. "See? These clothes fit you _much_ better." Her friends broke out into larger fits of laughter, which only served to ignite Gohan and Vegeta's tempers. Finally having enough, the Saiyan duo raised their arms at the group, their palms glowing with a lethal Ki. The laughter died instantly.

Seeing as how that still didn't cause the light in their hands to diminish, Bulma frantically waved her arms at them. "Whoa, whoa, calm down!" she yelled, trying to ease their rage. Gohan and Vegeta growled before relinquishing their Ki.

Vegeta huffed and folded his arms over his chest, fixing the humans with a glare that spelled bloodshed. "If I catch even an _inkling_ of laughter from any of you, I will slaughter you all. Understood?" They all stiffly nodded.

Bulma sighed, trying to figure out a way to lower the tension. "Alright, alright. Now then, I'm sure it's been a good while since either of you have had a meal."

Almost on cue, both of their stomachs growled loudly. Krillin nearly slipped and laughed, but he had a feeling that Vegeta would carry out his threat even for a reason as trivial as that.

Vegeta and Gohan sighed irritably. The woman was right. They hadn't had a meal in over five months now, and they were feeling severely famished as a result. From the smell of the food being cooked on the grill, whatever they would be eating around here would be unquestionably preferable to the foods they were used to.

"That sounds like a yes," Bulma snickered. "Don't worry; I've cooked up a _Saiyan-sized_ meal for you two." Bulma pointed at another table next to the one Krillin and the others were sitting at. Vegeta and Gohan shrugged and took a seat as directed, waiting patiently for whatever was being cooked.

Finally, Bulma came to the table with several plates of delicious foods. Among them were ribs, fries, salads, and various other meats. Gohan and Vegeta's eyes lit up; they were unconsciously salivating over the immense amount of food sitting before them. Without even picking up their utensils, the two Saiyans dug into their food, grabbing items at random. The human could only look on in complete astonishment. The Saiyan duo looked like they had never eaten in their entire lives up to that point. And it was true in a sense; this was the first time either of them had a meal that they could remember that wasn't Frieza's garbage or the bloody body parts of wild animals or rotting alien corpses.

After several minutes of a gluttonous display that would even make Goku wince (only slightly), Vegeta and Gohan let out satisfied sighs and leaned back in their chairs. The only things left on their plates were the broken bones of the meat.

"So…I assume you're both full, huh?" Bulma remarked.

"Yes," Vegeta replied, grabbing the glass of orange juice to his left. "Now, onto more pressing matters – get started on enhancing the gravity simulator, as well as cracking the scouter."

Bulma nodded, though she didn't like how Vegeta was just ordering her around like she was his servant. "Speaking of the gravity simulator, what level do you want it to be around?"

Vegeta raised his other hand to his chin, falling into thought. He looked at Gohan, who was also contemplating an appropriate level of gravity. After a few seconds, Vegeta spoke up. "500 times this planet's gravity should suffice."

Bulma dropped the tray she was holding. "_500Gs_? Do you want to kill yourselves before Frieza gets a chance to?"

Vegeta let out a feral growl and smashed the glass in his hand, letting the orange juice spill to the floor. "Just _do it, _wench!"

Bulma sighed in defeat, figuring there was no use in arguing with the hot-headed Saiyan. "Fine, whatever. But it will take me a few days, so you better be patient until then."

"Not a problem, assuming you learn how to watch your tongue around me in that time to keep me from tearing you limb from limb," Vegeta sneered, making everyone besides Gohan cringe over his morbid expressions.

"Alright! Geez, Vegeta, no need to send threats over _everything_!" Bulma complained before turning around and walking back over to Yamcha and the others. Vegeta rolled his eyes. That damn woman was seriously working his nerves. Never had he encountered anyone, let alone a frail female, that dared talk to him in the manner that she did without paying with their lives. But unlike those people, Bulma was actually of use to him, thanks to her genius. But he didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep up with her bitchy attitude.

This was going to be a long stay at the compound, that was for sure.

* * *

><p>Kami stood atop his immense lookout, reflecting on the events of the past day. It was an eventful one, that couldn't be denied, and it was one that changed the very fabric of the future of the planet that he resided over. That wasn't the only thing that consumed his thoughts, however. It was also his other half: Piccolo.<p>

Mr. Popo took notice of the aged Namekian's disposition. "Kami, something seems to be troubling you. What's wrong?"

Kami breathed a soft sigh, gripping his wooden staff tightly. "It's Piccolo…I've always noticed it over the past few years, but it's become a bit more apparent in the past day. He seems to be changing, Mr. Popo. His violent, cunning ways have been fading."

Mr. Popo nodded in understanding. "Indeed, I have noticed the same thing as well. I don't think you can even consider him the 'Demon King' anymore. It's especially noticeable when you consider the fact that he has had yet to kill _anyone_ ever since his reincarnation that wasn't inadvertently a threat to the Earth ."

"Indeed, Mr. Popo. And that's not the only peculiarity. Even after being killed by Piccolo, Avocado's soul actually passed on to Other World," Kami mused. "Normally, when someone is killed by a member of the Demon Clan, their soul is unable to pass, instead drifting in limbo and suffering for all of eternity. Such an occurrence _clearly_ shows that he is different."

Kami took a few steps forward, staring off into the sky. "And though he says that he is fighting these incoming threats for the purpose of ensuring that Earth will always be his for the taking, I think it's something different." Kami gave a bitter laugh. "Perhaps he _knows_ as well…he doesn't have much time left."

Mr. Popo's eyes widened in concern. "What do you mean, not much time left?"

"He is going to die when this Frieza being and his army show up. Either I will finally give in to old age, or he will be killed in the battle; either way, he will perish." Kami gave a bitter laugh. "Such is the curse of having foresight – I can know my very own demise.

"Perhaps, Piccolo knows this. His changes have been long standing, to the point where I doubt he even cares for world domination anymore. This planet is his home, for better or worse, and perhaps he wants to go down defending it rather than letting himself be killed like a helpless dog," Kami deduced.

"But then, what about the Dragon Balls?" Mr. Popo asked.

Kami sighed. "The next wish shall be the last."

* * *

><p>Piccolo floated in a cross-legged position in the middle of a vast desert. He was deep in meditation, scowling as he thought. Being that the apparently <em>ex<em>-Demon Clansmen was intertwined with Kami, he knew exactly what was on his mind. The thought unnerved him, but it was true no matter how much he tried to deny it: he had grown soft over the years. It was all because of that damned Goku. In fighting him, training endlessly every day in an attempt to defeat the wild-haired man, Piccolo had gone to see Goku no longer as his sworn enemy for him to kill in the name of his predecessor, but as a worthy opponent. A man that he respected.

Piccolo had long since lost sight of the goal he was born to carry out – one of world domination. Sure, that was the calling that he constantly spouted like his mantra, but in truth, Piccolo really had no idea what he would do if he ever obtained his elusive victory over Goku. Moreover, he wasn't even sure if he could ever bring himself to outright _killing_ the man. Sure, he had done it in this very day, but it was to defeat an enemy; it was Goku's very own idea.

Piccolo hissed in irritation; had he, the Demon King, the manifestation of Kami's darkest thoughts, really becoming some shell of a man with no purpose in life? One that was now fighting to _protect_ Earth, rather than keeping it away from potential competition? Piccolo growled, as a memory from years earlier was returning to him…

_Piccolo floated in the air, watching cliff as it crumbled to pieces. He was beyond angry with his latest attempt at defeating Goku; the bastard had stopped just short of killing him and gave him a Senzu bean _again_. He had been once again reduced to the whipping boy of that clown, and it only ignited an immense fire within him._ _Piccolo floated to the ground and seated himself, cursing his horrible luck._

_As he wallowed in self-pity, he overheard steps approaching him from behind him. Piccolo opened one eye. "Show yourself."_

_A sinister laughter made Piccolo open his second eye as well. He jumped up to his feet, letting his cape blow in the wind as he turned around. "Who the hell are you?" he sneered, observing the man in front of him. He was an elderly man, bald and with a large, ruffled, white beard and pale, aging skin. He had a maniacal look in his eyes, studying Piccolo with interest._

_"You are the Demon King Piccolo, am I correct?" the man inquired._

_"And just why do you care, old man?" Piccolo sneered, crossing his arms over his chest._

_"It is to my understanding that you _despise_ Son Goku, perhaps even more than I do. I have an offer that may interest you," the old man said, with a gleam in his eye that Piccolo couldn't quite place._

_"Oh, is that so? Explain," Piccolo demanded, now curious of whatever the geezer had to offer._

_"I am Dr. Gero, a scientist formerly of the Red Ribbon Army, which was toppled by none other than Son Goku himself. I hope to one day destroy him, which is why I have come to you, a person who shares my dreams," the crazed doctor explained. "Follow me, if you are interested in what I have to offer you." _

_Piccolo grunted before replying, "Lead the way."_

_"As you wish," Dr. Gero replied, turning around and pressing a button on the jetpack strapped to him. He blasted off into the air. Piccolo coughed a bit at the rush of smoke that filled his lungs before flying after him. He hoped whatever this doctor was going to present to him wouldn't be a waste of his time._

_They soon arrived at a cave atop a cliff buried in the middle of a vast forest. Dr. Gero landed first, walking to the dark, metallic doors that stood at the cave's entrance. He input a passcode, and the doors slid open. Dr. Gero looked over his shoulder at Piccolo. "Come on in."_

_Piccolo nodded and followed him into whatever the cave led to. He was in a large room, and from the looks of the various tubes, tables, and gadgets, it was a laboratory. But why was it so hidden from the rest of civilization? Piccolo looked aroun,d taking note of the various blueprints and other papers lying on the tables._

_"Do you see all of this? This laboratory contains work I have been devising for nearly a decade! I am on the cusp of coming to the ultimate solution to eradicating Goku – Androids!" Dr. Gero declared, his voice filled with madness._

_Piccolo gave Gero an annoyed sideways glance. "And just what does this have to do with me?"_

_Dr. Gero laughed. "That is my offer – to convert _you_ into an Android. I have come up with an energy reactor that will give you power beyond your wildest dreams. Killing Goku will be simple! We will both be able to take free reign over this planet!"_

_Piccolo's eyes widened at the offer Gero presented him. Such a thing was _extremely_ tempting. He would finally be able to destroy Goku, and all he had to do was join forces with this insane, obsessed doctor. It was practically a dream come true._

_And yet…it didn't feel right._

_Dr. Gero clenched his fist tightly, observing Piccolo as he contemplated his decision. "So, Piccolo, are you up for the task?"_

_"That is definitely a tempting offer," Piccolo tersely replied. His lips curled into a demonic smirk. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse."_

_Dr. Gero looked at Piccolo in confusion, his eyes filled with a hint of fear. "R-refuse? But why? Do you not realize the opportunities an alliance with me would bring you?"_

_Piccolo's expression gave way to a furious glare. "I would _never_ defeat Goku through such disgraceful means! And I most certainly won't do it in the name of some senile old doctor!"_

_Piccolo raised his arm at the bewildered scientist, gathering a deadly Ki to it. Before Gero even had a chance to respond, Piccolo fired a Ki blast, one that engulfed and disintegrated him. Piccolo lowered his arm and let out an indifferent grunt before directed his eyes to something that caught his interest. There was a table far off to his left. Lying atop it were two humans, both unconscious. There were metal clamps around their arms and legs, signifying that Gero must have been planning on conducting some sort of experiment on them. Both humans looked similar – one was a boy with black hair and a red scarf around his neck, and the other was a girl with blonde hair and denim vest and skirt._

_Piccolo frowned in thought. He figured it would be pointless to just let them linger in this stupid laboratory now that this doctor was gone. After firing well-aimed beams at their clamps, Piccolo grabbed the two earthlings by the back of their shirts, holding one in each hand. He walked out of the doors of the lab and once he was a good distance away from the entrance, Piccolo unceremoniously dropped the two humans to the ground. The boy hit his head, and the impact seemed to wake him back up._

_Slowly opening his eyes, the boy shook his head, looking up at Piccolo with confusion. His half-lidded eyes shot open upon realizing just who the man standing above him was. "Pi-Pi-Pico-"_

_"Hn."_

_Piccolo turned to the side, and then fired a huge Ki blast at the cave, blowing it to pieces. Giving the humans he just saved one last once-over, Piccolo flew off into the sky. _

Piccolo gave an exasperated sigh. He understood why he killed that insane scientist, but to this day, his act of saving those two humans confused him. Why did he do it? He could have just destroyed the lab and not given the two a second thought, but he instead broke them out first. He really was letting himself go soft, and Avocado passing on to Other World only served to further slap that thought right across his face.

The Namekian warrior growled and stood back up, sick of dwelling on his changing character. He had an invasion to train for, and there was no time to waste.

* * *

><p>Gohan sat the table in the kitchen of the compound, restlessly drumming his fingers against its marble surface. It had been three days since he and Vegeta began their stay at Capsule Corporation. In that time, he and Vegeta adapted to the high levels of the gravity room, so they could be well-prepared for Bulma's upgrade. For now, he was waiting for Bulma's mother, who he was beginning to think was some strange alien, to bring him a meal. Krillin was sitting with him, and Gohan was growing more annoyed with his presence. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the bald man trying to sneak a glance at him every few minutes.<p>

"What do you want?" Gohan finally snapped. "Is there something that interests you?"

Krillin scratched his head in embarrassment. "It's just…I still can't over the fact that you're here again. The last time I saw you was when your uncle was swooping you away."

"Don't remind me," Gohan growled, folding his arms over the black tank top he was wearing.

"Well, what happened after that?" Krillin curiously inquired.

"Don't ask."

"Okay then," Krillin awkwardly replied, figuring that would be the answer. "Did you at least miss Earth during your time at wherever you were?"

"When I was still weak, yes," Gohan bitterly replied, looking off at the side. "Nowadays, I couldn't care less about this place."

"But, why? What made you change so much?" Krillin pressed.

"Dumb question. I adapted, simple as that," Gohan replied, his tone guarded. "Now, do you have anything else stupid that you want to ask, _Krillin_?"

Krillin sighed in defeat. "No, I guess."

"Hn."

"Well, can you at least answer one thing? When we tried to just zap you back to this planet with the Dragon Balls, Shenron said your Ki couldn't be felt anywhere in the universe. We figured you were dead and tried to wish you back, but that didn't work for whatever reason," Krillin explained. "Care to explain why?"

Gohan gave a deep sigh, falling into thought. He winced, as some of his most painful memories began returning. "Probably during _that_ ordeal."

"Huh?"

"Frieza decided to have me go with him on some planet he wanted to conquer. It was weird, because he usually never brought soldiers with him on the few purges he went on," Gohan said, feeling a bit uneasy even sharing the experience. "Long story short, he stranded me on the planet while I was badly injured and without food or water for weeks on end, and I was basically a vegetable until they finally managed to resuscitate me. Happy?"

"Uh…yeah," Krillin nervously replied, shaking his head. _Man, if Gohan faced brutality like _that_, no wonder he changed…_

They sat in awkward silence. Krillin stared at the table, not even turning in Gohan's direction. It was clear that he had become very guarded, so there was no point in trying to bombard him with questions. Mrs. Briefs soon arrived with plates of spaghetti.

"Dinner's ready, boys! I made plenty of spaghetti for you," she said, looking at Gohan. "After all, a growing boy needs his food!"

Gohan grunted before taking the plate out of the insane woman's hands and digging in. He had to admit, life on Earth was at least a much better option than living under Frieza's rule, getting nothing but terrible food and uncomfortable cots to sleep on top of. At least here he had the comfort of an actual bed and food, albeit served by an exceedingly eccentric woman. Gohan shook his head; was he already allowing himself to ease into this stupid planet again?

Vegeta sat down on the bed in the guest room he had taken in, growing bored. He and Gohan had completely adapted to 150 times normal gravity, and were eagerly waiting to push their training to new heights. But Bulma was taking far too long with this upgrade. Whenever he decided to check in on her progress, she was always distracted with something else, whether it was some stupid invention or that fighter with the scars on his face. Her interactions with that guy were particularly irritating – she was always directing her shrill, bitchy shrieks at him over some trivial act of stupidity he committed. It annoyed the prince how Bulma seemed to be putting more time focusing on that weak human than his training. Did she not realize the gravity of the situation ahead?

With a growl, Vegeta stood up and walked out of the room. It was about time he gave that female a piece of his mind. He walked down the hallway, towards wherever he was picking up her always-weak Ki signal. Vegeta found a door, which he heard the sound of water running behind. However, that didn't matter to him, as he had obviously found Bulma's location. Vegeta kicked open the door.

What he saw almost made his eyes pop out of his head.

Bulma frantically reached for a towel and wrapped it around her glistening, wet, body, giving Vegeta a fiery glare. "What the _hell_ are you doing, Vegeta?"

Vegeta yelped and slapped his hand over his eyes to obscure the lewd sight. "I was here to tell you to hurry the hell up and get to working on that damn gravity room, woman!"

"Well I don't know about you, but here on Earth, we have this thing called KNOCKING, and you better get accustomed to it, bozo!" Bulma shrieked, running another towel through her soaked hair.

Vegeta mentally kicked himself when he realized his hand had slipped and that his eyes were fixated on the half-naked woman across from him. He decided his best option was simply turning around, staring at the wall of the hallway instead. "Well, regardless, you better get started on quickening the progress of my upgrades, or else the validity of your life will come into question. Got it?"

"Understood, Mr. 'I-wouldn't-know-tact-if-it-punched-me-in-the-face!'" Bulma snapped.

Vegeta let out an animalistic growl, his cheeks reddening he was so angry. "You insolent wench, how many times have I already had to tell you to watch your fucking tongue around me?" he snarled, spinning around to face her. To his surprise, rather than looking threatened, she was breaking out into laughter.

"And what, pray tell, do you find so amusing?" Vegeta asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Looks like all this action's got 'Little Vegeta' excited," she suggestively remarked.

Vegeta, on the other hand, seemed confused, not catching her joke. "Wha-? What the hell are you talking about?"

Bulma put her hand over her mouth and pointed downward. Vegeta followed the direction of her finger, nearly having an aneurysm when he saw the…_bulge_ in the middle of his pants. He opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't think of anything to say.

Bulma mischievously giggled. "Not bad, by the way," she remarked with a wink before heading out to the hallway. Vegeta just stood there, dumbstruck. _What the **hell** just happened?_ He fiercely shut his eyes and marched out of the bathroom, questioning the stability of this planet as he did.

Vegeta decided to get some food to take his mind off of that awkward (and apparently arousing) encounter. He walked into the kitchen and over to the table, where Gohan and Krillin were in the midst of chowing down on spaghetti. There was another plate set by an empty seat. Whether it was for him or not, Vegeta didn't care, as he sat down and began digging in. He almost choked on the noodles when that familiar shriek pierced through the air.

"Eating _my_ food now, are you Vegeta?" Bulma accused, standing from the kitchen doorway. Vegeta swallowed up the noodles and looked over his shoulder at the woman, who he was starting to think was some sort of demon spawn. To his agony, she wasn't even that much more clothed than she was in the shower, instead just wearing a long, grey T-shirt that barely covered her legs.

"Clearly," Vegeta flatly replied before turning back to his plate. He growled low in his throat when he saw Bulma's fist slam down on the table just a few inches in front of him, almost making him choke again.

"And just what makes you think you're entitled to eat my dinner?" Bulma inquired, her eyes narrowing.

"I don't recall you claiming it, wench," Vegeta nonchalantly replied, trying to control his building temper.

"Well you oughta get the hell up before I get pissed," Bulma threatened.

Vegeta stood straight up from his seat, knocking it backwards onto the floor in the process. He turned so that he was mere inches away from Bulma, who defensively took a step back. Almost just as quickly, Krillin stood up, just in case things got ugly. Gohan looked on with cold indifference; Vegeta could slaughter the female for all he cared.

"You have been driving me to the absolute limits of my patience, girl," Vegeta sneered, his eyes filled with anger. "If you didn't prove to be so useful, I would have already ripped that little head of yours off."

Bulma gave Vegeta a glare just as fierce as his was. "I could say the same to you, buddy. You've been parading around like _you're_ the one who pays the bills around here, and I've just about had it!" Bulma turned around, headed in the direction of the doorway. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going upstairs to save myself from your presence!" With that, she left, ending the tension in the room.

Krillin breathed a sigh of relief before sitting back down. Gohan stood up, settling himself next to his longtime comrade, who was still fuming. Vegeta folded his arms over his dark grey tank top. "If we ever get driven to exterminating this planet's population, I'm getting the blue-haired bitch for myself."

"Well at least let me tear off a limb or two."

"Noted."


	16. Place for My Head

Vegeta had to admit, though Bulma, as well as her mother, drove him to the brink of insanity, her father Dr. Briefs was very tolerable. He had his odd eccentricities, but he simply got the job done and didn't yell at Vegeta over trivial bullshit. While Bulma was busy trying to hack into the scouter, Dr. Briefs took up the task of upgrading the spaceship, much to Vegeta's approval.

Vegeta was sitting in the large ship, watching the purple-haired old man put the finishing touches on the gravity mechanism. Though the smell of the smoke from his cigarette annoyed the Prince, he dealt with it. Dr. Briefs put down his tool box and wiped off his forehead before standing up, turning around to face Vegeta.

"Alright, the gravity simulator should be in working order now," Dr. Briefs said. Vegeta gave a grunt of approval before settling his eyes on the control panel. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but just be careful with it, Vegeta. Under 500Gs you'll weigh as much as 35 tons!"

"I'm aware of this, old man," Vegeta growled impatiently.

"I know, I know," Dr. Briefs chuckled. "Just making sure you're aware," he said before turning around and leaving the ship. Just as he was exiting, Gohan walked in, brushing past him. Dr. Briefs looked over his shoulder at the boy. Goku's son was the talk of the compound. Though he had never met Gohan, he still found it interesting how strong he apparently was. Dr. Briefs left the ship, closing the door.

Gohan looked at Vegeta, watching as he observed the gravity simulator. "So, is the upgrade finished?"

Vegeta nodded. "Indeed; we'll start at 200 times normal gravity." Vegeta pressed the button on the control panel. The lights turned red once more, and the pressure from the increased gravity bore down on the two Saiyans. Though it was a bit of a strain, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was when they first tested the machine. They were used to 150Gs, so upgrading to 200 wasn't that huge of a deal.

Vegeta turned around to face Gohan, who folded his arms over his chest. "Y'know, it's been a while since we had a real spar. Of course, I doubt you would win if we were to spar _now_, considering how much the tables have turned," he boasted, a smirk spreading over his face.

Vegeta gave Gohan a smirk of his own. "Oh, really? I could defeat you by simple virtue of being the one who taught you your fighting style."

"Prove it then," Gohan challenged, crouching into a fighting stance.

"As you wish," Vegeta replied, getting into his own stance. This was just what he wanted. He and Gohan would fight each other like sworn enemies; all gloves would be off, and no tactics would be outlawed. If either of them were to die as a result of their spars, then it would mean they weren't worth the time in the first place. This was their best bet for getting stronger – constantly pushing each other to the edge of death.

The two Saiyans raised their Ki and lunged at each other, clashing in mid-air. Vegeta was on the offensive, throwing a flurry of punches Gohan's way. The half-Saiyan immediately noticed that Vegeta was a bit faster than before, no doubt from having mostly recovered from his fight with Goku and that staggering kick from Avocado, as well as from their exercises under increasing gravity levels. However, Gohan had recovered as well, and considering the beating he took during that fight, he was much stronger than before, and thus a step ahead of Vegeta. He was blocking Vegeta's attacks with ease, making him furious. This wasn't how Vegeta and Gohan's spars usually went.

Gohan phased out of sight and Vegeta looked around, trying to get a feel for Gohan's presence. He managed to pinpoint where his location was, firing a Ki blast at the ceiling of the room. Gohan soon jumped to the floor and dashed towards Vegeta, but now he was the one who was disappearing. Gohan inwardly cursed himself; he still didn't know how to sense Ki. He was going to have try and use his other senses to detect where Vegeta was. He tried to focus his ears in attempt to pick up the sounds of his feet. His concentration was broken, however, when he felt the man's arm wrap around his neck.

"Got you."

Gohan growled in frustration, preparing himself to break himself out of Vegeta's tight grip, but the Prince drove his knee into his spine. Vegeta then rocked Gohan with a brutal punch right in the back of the head, dizzying the half-Saiyan boy. Gohan's brows furrowed rigidly as he charged towards Vegeta and threw several punches at him. With each thrust of his arm, he could feel himself easing into the gravity level. Gohan managed to land a devastating kick to Vegeta's jaw that sent him crashing right into the ceiling of the ship, leaving a good dent in it. As Vegeta sank to the floor, Gohan caught up to him fairly quickly and kicked Vegeta in the chest, sending him into the wall.

Vegeta hit it with a loud thud and sank in a seated position on the floor. He sprung back up to his feet, growing increasingly frustrated with the way their spar was turning out. Gohan fixed Vegeta with a maddening grin, taking every opportunity to revel in his new superiority. Vegeta raised both of his arms and charged a lethal amount of Ki to them. He released it in the form of dozens of small blasts, forcing Gohan to have to either dodge or deflect them. However, while the half-Saiyan was busy with the tiny blasts, he didn't even see the considerably large Ki wave heading his way. He realized its presence too late, taking the blast head on and falling to the floor in a heap of pain.

Vegeta wasted no time in taking advantage, flipping into the air and then driving both of his knees into Gohan's stomach. Since he was lacking in strength compared to Gohan, Vegeta was going to have to rely on the superior tactical skills that he prided himself in so much. Still in a crouched position, Vegeta jumped back and slung his tail around Gohan's ankle, springing up and using it to toss Gohan several feet back. Vegeta zipped up to the half-breed and viciously slammed his elbow into Gohan's neck, ramming him into the wall. Gohan let out a gurgled cough, feeling his breath dangerously tighten from the pressure of Vegeta's arm.

Gohan weakly gasped for air before doing the only thing he figured would make sense given his predicament – he fired a Ki blast right at Vegeta's face. The blast successfully blew the prince off of him, sending him to the hard floor. Vegeta clutched at his face, his flesh feeling like it was on fire as a result of Gohan's blast. He slowly stood back up to his feet, wiping away blood spilling from his lip and giving an approving smirk.

"Alright brat, if that's how you want to play," Vegeta remarked, raising both of his fists.

Gohan responded in kind. "You shouldn't have expected anything less."

* * *

><p>Krillin took a deep breath and sipped his glass of orange juice, leaning back in his chair as he did so. It was a nice, autumn day, and he was going to enjoy every second of it. He was starting his own training, as he wanted to do as much as he could to defend Earth against Frieza and his army. Krillin pushed his chair forward when he felt a Ki approaching the balcony. Krillin squinted straight ahead, seeing a hover car speedily approaching where he was sitting. The bald warrior stood up so he could be able to greet whoever this was.<p>

The car came to an abrupt stop when it passed the balcony rail and was hovering a few inches above the floor. The driver stepped out of the car; he was a short, chubby man, with long black hair and beady eyes. Krillin recognized the man.

"Oh, hey, I know you! You're the guy who stays at Korin Tower!" Krillin remarked. "You're name's…Badger Kobe?"

The man's face reddened in anger. "It's _Yajirobe, _you dumb prick! You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Oh, right. So what's got you coming all the way down here?" Krillin curiously asked.

Yajirobe gave an indifferent shrug. "Korin sent me. Says he knows all about that Freezer guy and those aliens. He wanted me to tell you to report to him, and bring that guy Yamcha with you," Yajirobe explained, trying to recall the rest of the names. "Oh yeah, and Chowzer and uh…Tien Shithan or whatever."

"Whoa, Korin wants us to come to his tower? But why?"

"For training with _Kami_. Even I'm doin' it," Yajirobe replied.

Krillin's jaw sank to the floor. "Holy crap, really?"

"Yezzir. Of course, _I_ didn't want to do it, but of course that bastard said I don't have a choice. Anyway, are you doing it?" Yajirobe dully asked.

Krillin restlessly shook his head. "Hell yeah! Of course!"

"Well, alright then," Yajirobe replied with a shrug, turning back to his car. He opened the door, before remembering something else. "Oh yeah, and that old bitch Baba said not to wish Goku back until whenever the hell those aliens arrive."

Krillin's eyes widened in shock. "But why?"

"Somethin' about training in Other World or some crazy bullshit like that," Yajirobe nonchalantly replied, stuffing himself back into his car. Soon, the engine rumbled, and the car turned around and drove away.

Krillin clapped his hands together, barely even able to contain his excitement. Training with _Kami_? This was the opportunity of a lifetime! He was sure to get stronger now! The bald warrior grabbed his glass of orange juice and downed it all at once, sighing in satisfaction afterwards.

The screen door to the balcony slid open, and from it came Bulma. She looked exhausted, having spent the majority of the day working on various gadgets and the scouter. She turned to Krillin, who was twitching in excitement. "I heard the sound of a car driving away from here? What was that about?"

"That guy Yajirobe came here; he said that Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and I will be training under _Kami_ to fight these aliens!" Krillin replied, giddy with excitement.

"I see…" Bulma replied.

"Speaking of Yamcha, have you seen him around? I have to give him the news, too!"

Bulma growled low in her throat and folded her arms over her chest. "I don't know and I don't care! I'm just about done with that douchebag!"

Krillin frowned, offering his half-hearted sympathy for the always-rocky relationship. He opened his mouth to speak, before turning around upon hearing the familiar sound of people flying towards them. He looked down and saw Gohan and Vegeta approaching the balcony. As they drew in closer, their rough shape became apparent – they were covered in bruises, scrapes, and blood. The two Saiyan warriors landed on the floor.

Bulma's face went pale. "Lord have mercy…"

Even Krillin was alarmed by the extent of their damage. "Geez, guys, were you trying to kill each other? That's insane!"

Gohan and Vegeta shrugged in annoyance. "This is nothing, idiots," Vegeta growled, adding under his breath, "Pathetic humans…"

Gohan, however, did seem to show his exhaustion more outwardly, doubling over and rapping his hands against the edges of the nearby table, panting heavily. Vegeta folded his arms over his battered chest, his facial features tightened and a vein throbbing in his temple. His forehead was drenched in sweat.

Bulma felt a twinge of nausea as she rushed over to Vegeta. "You've got to get these wounds treated, Vegeta!" she said, reaching out for the prince's arm.

Vegeta swatted his arm away before she had a chance to grab it. "I _said_ it's nothing! Now leave me be!"

Bulma narrowed her eyes at Vegeta. "I don't care what you say; you're _getting_ these fixed up. My house, my rules. I'm not gonna have a bunch of bloodied up aliens roaming around my house; this is a place of business, too, y'know!"

"Fine, I'll get these treated if it will cease your incessant wailing," Vegeta grit through his teeth.

Bulma nodded, turning around to the door. "I'll take you to the infirmary; follow me."

Vegeta grunted before walking forward. Bulma stopped and looked over her shoulder at Gohan. "I'll get to you when I'm done with Vegeta, okay?"

Gohan weakly nodded, hoarsely exhaling as he did. He blew his black bangs away from his sweat-filled forehead and leaned against the balcony railing. He and Vegeta had fought each other tooth and nail for a few hours in the space ship, and he loved every minute of it. Plus, it was a relief to finally be in a fight where he wasn't desperately battling to stall his death for once.

Vegeta stepped inside the bright medical room, quickly sitting down on the examination table, resting his head against the wall. He watched Bulma as she went over to the large shelf, looking for the appropriate supplies. "You better make this quick, woman," he gruffly demanded.

Vegeta sighed; though he wouldn't admit it, he was feeling pretty banged up after his "spar" with Gohan. He had taught the boy everything he knew about being a violent fighter. It wasn't a problem back when Gohan was still weaker than him, but now that the half-Saiyan had surpassed him by a good margin, he was left aching badly. Perhaps he should be more inviting to the woman's attempts to tend to his injuries.

Bulma approached Vegeta, with a white box in one hand and a roll of gauze in the other. She set the roll on the table and opened up the box, looking for the proper tools. She pulled out two white gloves, sliding them over her hands before picking up the tape. "Alright, I'll _try_ to make this fast, okay?" she said, studying the Saiyan's tattered up frame.

"Hn."

Bulma reached forward and grabbed Vegeta's arm. He flinched at the contact, though she did her best to keep him in place. "Hey, buddy, the faster you cooperate, the faster I'll get this done so you can go about your crazy alien business. Got it?"

"Talk to me like that again and you'll be the one needing medical attention," Vegeta growled.

"I'm _so_ scared," Bulma deadpanned as she took out a rag, startling the intimidating Prince. Who the hell did this fragile human female think she was? Anybody else in the universe would be shaking in their boots at his threats, ones that he would be more than happy to carry out, yet she just brushed them off like they were nothing. At the very least, he had an inkling of respect for the woman's guts, however high the insolent stupidity fueling them was.

As Bulma went about wiping off the blood coating Vegeta's arms, she spoke up. "How hard were you and Gohan fighting, anyway? I mean, you're just training; you guys don't have to bang each other up like that."

"For your information, woman, it is _very_ necessary," Vegeta snorted, unconsciously easing into Bulma's touch. "We Saiyans grow stronger after recovering from bad injuries; the harder we beat each other up, the better."

"But what if one of you goes too far and you end up killing each other?" Bulma argued, cringing at how quickly Vegeta's blood was covering the towels.

"Then that would mean that was all we were worth," Vegeta said, his voice detached.

Bulma leaned back, gazing at the Saiyan prince with great curiosity. He seemed to carry a lot of the same notions and battle philosophies as Goku, undoubtedly due to their Saiyan nature, but at the same time he was like the complete antithesis of them. Goku fought for the fun of it, while Vegeta and Gohan seemed focused solely on power. Goku would never kill anyone, not even Piccolo, yet Vegeta and Gohan seemed inclined to kill anyone that so much as annoyed them, no matter how trivial the matter was.

"I've got another question," Bulma said, eliciting an irritated hiss from Vegeta. "Oh, hush and listen, Vegeta!" she protested as she began applying tape to some of his cuts. "I have a feeling Gohan won't answer me if I asked, so I figured I'd ask his ally: what's he like now?"

"He's a cold, heartless warrior, beyond such pathetic human emotions. Just like me," Vegeta bluntly replied, with a hint of pride in his voice. "Though he was a whiny, sentimental brat at first."

Bulma frowned in disappointment. "He was such a polite little boy when Goku first introduced him to us," she sighed. "Why did he change so much?"

Vegeta growled, already disgusted with the woman's naïve sentimentality. "That's an absurd question. You know nothing of the life we lived under Frieza. The only thing that matters is strength, and emotions are only a hindrance. The boy changed because he was smart enough to figure out the ways of the survival of the fittest."

Bulma's frown deepened as she asked, "So, I guess it's safe to say that he's killed a lot of people alongside of you, huh?"

"Yes; millions, probably even billions," Vegeta replied with a sinister smirk that made Bulma shudder, explaining more than what was necessary for his own morbid amusement.

Bulma cringed, fighting back the bile rising to her throat over the thought of Goku's son committing such atrocious acts. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Hn."

Bulma taped up a particularly nasty gash around Vegeta's left arm. As she observed his various bruises, she couldn't help but notice some of the permanent scars engraved in his skin. They were numerous; a few were spread across his torso, and some appeared on his arm like tattoos. He had clearly been through many battles in his lifetime, carrying all of the pain experienced from them out in the open. "So, what's it like anyway?"

Vegeta raised a curious, annoyed eyebrow. "What do you mean, woman?"

"I mean, working for this Frieza guy? What was it like?" she curiously asked. To her dismay and frustration, Vegeta immediately stood up from the table.

"I've had enough of this bullshit," he growled, turning on his heel and marching out of the infirmary, not caring about the fact that he still had cuts that needed treating. Bulma sighed in disappointment. Vegeta and Gohan both seemed so guarded, likely due to how fearsome this Frieza was. She had thought it was simply a black and white issue: she and her friends were good, while the Saiyans were all evil, ruthless monsters. But she was starting to see that it was a bit more complex than that; these were men that had to do whatever it took to survive. There was a lot more to Vegeta than what he was letting on.

And she somehow found herself wanting to find out what it was.

* * *

><p>Gohan traveled down the halls of the compound, his arms and chest layered with several bandages after having just been treated by Bulma. Though she was certainly no rejuvenation chamber, Bulma was a lot more soothing than Frieza's doctors were, that was for sure. Thankfully, she didn't bombard him with questions about his past, which was what he had been dreading. Gohan stopped in the middle of the hall to stretch his sore arms. He had many painful days ahead of him if his spars with Vegeta were going to go the same as it had today.<p>

Krillin was walking in his direction down the hall, but was stopped by Bulma as she came back from the infirmary upstairs. "Whelp, Krillin, it looks like it's time for us to face the music."

"What do you mean?" Krillin nervously asked, not liking the bleak expression on Bulma's face.

"Chi-Chi just left a message; she's on her way here as we speak to see why Goku has yet to come back home," Bulma grimly replied.

Gohan gasped. That name, Chi-Chi…it was maddeningly familiar to him. His eyes billowed in shock when realized who that name belonged to:

His mother.

From the day he first rushed into the space pod on Planet Frieza #63, Gohan hadn't had any dread towards his inevitable encounters with the various figures of his former life on Earth. Yet at that very moment, Gohan was filled with true anxiety. Somewhere deep in his mind, the half-Saiyan _couldn't_ bring himself to face his mother. He couldn't explain it, but he absolutely did not want to see what her reaction would be to what he had become. Gohan turned to look at Krillin, giving him an ice-cold stare that made the bald warrior nervously inch away from him.

"Do _not_ tell my mother about me," he demanded, his voice dangerously low.

Krillin and Bulma looked each other in confusion, taken aback by Gohan's urgency. Krillin looked back at Gohan. "But, you're her son, she has to kno-"

Krillin couldn't even get the word out of his mouth before Gohan tightly grabbed him by the throat and violently shoved him against the wall, giving him a scowl that sent shivers down his spine. "Don't argue with me! If you so much as _allude_ to my presence to her, I will tear every single limb from your diminutive body clean off and feed them to the nearest mongrel I find. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-y-yes," Krillin gasped, struggling to breath. Gohan pulled his head forward before ruthlessly slamming it back into the wall with twice as much force.

"_Do I make myself clear?"_

"YES!" Krillin shrieked, yelling as loud as his vocal cords would allow via Gohan's iron tight grip.

Gohan released Krillin, folding his arms over his chest as he watched the short warrior double over and clutch at his throat, gasping and coughing for air. Bulma could only watch in shock, being frozen in her spot in the hallway. She couldn't believe how adamantly Gohan was against facing his own mother.

"Good," Gohan callously remarked before marching down the hallway. He shot Bulma a cold glare as he walked, silently warning her as well. He stormed upstairs, making Bulma and Krillin flinch at the loud sound produced from him fiercely slamming his bedroom door shut.

"W-Well, that sure went well, huh?" Krillin sarcastically remarked, still gasping for air.

Bulma frowned. "Poor kid; he probably doesn't want his mom to see what he's become." _I guess he _does_ have some guilt…_

"But did he have to be so violent about it?" Krillin pouted, shaking his head to get more oxygen circulating to it.

"Well, I can't blame him for it. It's probably all Gohan knows now," Bulma replied, looking over her shoulder upstairs.

"I guess…" Krillin replied. He straightened in his posture before turning towards the living room. "Well, I guess we better get the rags and buckets of water ready for when Chi-Chi faints, huh?"

Bulma chuckled. "I'm already way ahead of you, Krillin."

Gohan slammed the back of his head against the wall as he sat down on his bed. He was beside himself over how much he was allowing this planet to change him. His utter avoidance of his mother was the result of one terrible thing that he had all but completely blocked from his mind: guilt. He had no problem practically shoving in his father's face how much of a cold-blooded killer he had become, yet the thought of his mother finding out made his skin crawl. But why? He had known her just as little as he did his father. Was it simple maternal attachments that he couldn't get past no matter how hard he tried?

Gohan turned his head and snuck a glance outside of the nearby window. He could see a car parked near the entrance of the compound. Thankfully, his mother wasn't in sight, but he did see another rather large figure exiting the vehicle. Gohan felt his breath shorten as he observed the man, recognizing him instantly. _Gr-grandpa…?_

Gohan forced his head to turn back forward and squeezed tightly at his hair with both hands. These conflicting thoughts were slowly starting to torture him almost to the same degree as Frieza had. They were eating away at what little mental stability he already had left. These feelings had to cease _now_. But Gohan wasn't quite sure how to stop them from surfacing, if he even could.

* * *

><p>Vegeta walked to the kitchen table at an alarmingly slow pace. He was still aching from the previous day's spar with Gohan, and that aching became exacerbated from his spar today. Vegeta knew there was only so much punishment his body could take, but as he had already told himself hundreds of times, that was precisely what he needed. Vegeta took a seat, sighing in relaxation.<p>

His peace came to a halt when the squeaky voice of Mrs. Briefs cut in. "Why hello, Vegeta dear. Here for your afternoon lunch, I see?"

"Hn."

"Well, I have plenty of cookies that I'm preparing!" Mrs. Briefs enthusiastically said. "I'm sure after training _so hard_, you could use some good food!" She soon ran out of the kitchen, humming some nonsensical melody. Vegeta couldn't even begin to understand what the hell was going on in that female's head, if there even was anything.

Speaking of females Vegeta had trouble comprehending, Bulma soon strode into the kitchen, a triumphant smile present on her face. She was holding the purple scouter left behind by Cado. "I've got good news, Vegeta. I finally managed to get a link on Frieza's location!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "How long?"

"According to my calculations, Frieza will be here in approximately one year," Bulma announced, with a hint of smugness in her tone.

"One year? Frieza shouldn't have been very far from the base Gohan and I flew away from," Vegeta tersely replied. Bulma frowned, not wanting to think her calculations were incorrect. "Hm…he must have relocated to a faraway planet during our flight to here."

"Well regardless, you have your deadline now, Mr. Prince of all Saiyans," Bulma said with a shrug.

"Hn."

Bulma sighed and took a seat next to Vegeta at the table, making the Saiyans muscles tense up. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, and Vegeta found himself looking at the woman as she drummed her fingers against the table, appearing to fight the urge to look in his direction. Though Vegeta never cared to critique females' appearances, considering them trivial and looked down on the notion of giving in to primal urges entirely, it didn't take a genius to realize that Bulma was very pleasing to the eye and alluring. Vegeta growled low in his throat, trying to push that thought away before it spun too far out of control.

Bulma roughly cleared her throat. "So, uh…how's your training been going?"

"How do you think?"

"Just wondering."

"Well your questions annoy me."

Bulma sighed. She knew that trying to learn anything about either Saiyan was going to be a challenge, and she didn't really know how to begin. "Did you have any, y'know, friends, back at wherever you worked at?"

"I thought I already told you that your questions annoy me," Vegeta growled. "And I need not explain to you what I normally do about things that annoy me."

Bulma paled. "Well you can at least tell me _something_, Vegeta! It won't hurt to just talk."

"I'm not here to _talk_, wench," Vegeta scoffed, a vein in his temple throbbing over her presence. "I only have one solitary purpose for being on this godforsaken planet, and you seem to be going out of your way to make the experience as mind-numbing as possible."

"Whatever…"

A smirk slowly spread on Vegeta's face. Since this woman insisted on annoying him, he would return the favor. "But since you have a seemingly boundless supply of questions, let me ask _you _something: what is the purpose behind those bitchy shrieks you bombard that scarfaced weakling with seemingly every day?"

Bulma narrowed her eyes dangerously at Vegeta, though the Prince didn't react in the least bit. "Don't even start, Vegeta."

"What's wrong, female? All I wanted to do was _talk_," Vegeta innocently asked, his smirk widening. Bulma glared at Vegeta before rolling her eyes. Vegeta leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes seemingly in concentration. Bulma snuck a glance at him. She noticed that there seemed to never be a time when Vegeta and Gohan didn't have a scowl present on their faces, even when they weren't doing anything. But now, Vegeta actually looked calm for once. He looked relaxed and dare she say…_attractive_?

Vegeta opened up one eye, startling Bulma. It was directed right at her. "Should I have to gouge both of your eyes out to keep you from gawking at me, woman?"

Bulma's eyes narrowed in frustration. "Again with the threats, Vegeta! You're not going to get your way by telling me you're going to destroy me every time I do something that falls on the _ridiculously_ long list of things that piss you off. Especially when it seems like you're not even going to carry them ou-"

Bulma shrieked when a Ki blast flew right over her head, mere inches away from singing her hair. The blast hit the oven right behind her, blowing it to pieces. Bulma fell out of her chair and hit the floor hard from the impact of the resulting small explosion. Vegeta stood up, snickering as he watched the dark smoke fill the kitchen.

"Well now, it looks like I've set your kitchen on fire," Vegeta said with clear amusement in his voice. "How _ever_ will a self-proclaimed genius such as yourself find a way out of this predicament?" The Saiyan prince let out an amused snort before leaving the kitchen, leaving Bulma by herself to deal with the fire.

Bulma lay there, in a state of shock, not even seeming to notice the growing fire in her kitchen. Her shock slowly gave way to anger. "Th-that…barbaric…SON OF A BITCH!" she shrieked, rising to her feet and yelling in the direction that Vegeta had walked. "You think you can just go around blowing up random shit in my house as you please?" Bulma stormed out of the kitchen, running to the fire extinguisher on the other side of the wall. Snatching it off of the wall, Bulma ran back into kitchen and began spraying the nitrogen aimlessly all throughout the kitchen to put out the fire.

Though the flames in the kitchen died down, the flames of Bulma's temper were still very much raging on. "This isn't over, monkey boy! You're fucking paying for ALL of thi-"

Inhumanly fast, Vegeta appeared right in front of her, with a murderous glare fixed on his face. He grabbed her by the wrist and shoved her right into the wall, pinning her arms against it. For the first time since she had been in Vegeta's presence, Bulma quivered in real fear as Vegeta let out an animalistic growl, bearing his teeth at her. Bulma was sure he was about to make good on all of the threats he sent towards her.

"Don't you _ever_ call me by that name," Vegeta seethed, barely even able to control the pitch of his voice. "Do it again, and to hell with your technical expertise – I will snap your fucking neck and burn your remains!"

"O-okay, Vegeta," Bulma whimpered, trying not to show her fear but doing a poor job of it. "I'm s-sorry…"

Vegeta didn't loosen his grip on Bulma's arms, instead staring holes into her face. He was looking for any signs of genuine remorse in her features. However, something about actually seeing her _scared_ by his presence, rather than challenging it, unnerved Vegeta.

"Oh dear, it looks like you two have already gone about getting acquainted with each other!" Mrs. Brief cheered from the doorway of the kitchen. "It looks like we'll be needing a new stove, too!"

Vegeta hissed irritably before releasing his fearsome grip around Bulma's wrists. He turned around and left the kitchen. Bulma breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She was so sure Vegeta was going to kill her. She knew very well that the monkey comment was derogatory, but she didn't think it would set him off _that_ much. Vegeta seemed to be very sensitive to that particular insult, but she didn't have a clue as to why.

Vegeta stood at the staircase leading to the second floor, pressing his right hand against the wall and rubbing at his temple with the left. All he could hear in his head was that voice, _Frieza_.

_"Aw, look at the little monkey, still thinking his title as Prince means anything…"_

_"If it weren't for those _reprehensible_ monkey genes of yours, you would be such a better warrior, Vegeta…"_

Vegeta balled up his right hand into a fist and punched a dent in the wall before marching upstairs. That demon seed had completely stepped out of line this time, reminding him of that lizard tyrant who he was working towards destroying. He was almost positive that Bulma was going to drive him to murdering her in cold blood.

Dr. Briefs walked in the kitchen, laughing nervously. "Looks like quite the ruckus occurred in here. I don't doubt that this was caused by Vegeta, no?"

Bulma growled. "He's a jackass, dad. He lets practically _everything_ piss him off!"

Mrs. Briefs merely giggled. "Oh, stop it Bulma. I think it's because he's just a hard worker! You have to admire such fiery determination!"

"Oh dear, don't tell me you've taken a liking to Vegeta, honey," Dr. Briefs groaned. "I thought all of your affection was always directed at Goku."

Mrs. Briefs waved a dismissive hand at her husband. "Oh, don't get me wrong, Goku is a handsome man, too, but Vegeta's just got this rough, stoic edge to him that makes me tingle! He's got such a sense of ruggedness, not to mention that defined widow's peak and that cute, individualistic wide forehead of his!" The eccentric woman gasped in surprise and covered her mouth. "Oh my, it looks like I'm going to have to take him out on a date one of these days!"

Dr. Briefs and Bulma could only look at each other in astonishment. Even after so many years, Mrs. Briefs still never ceased to completely confuse them.

* * *

><p>Piccolo was embroiled in a heated battle with a self-generated doppelganger, going about his usual method of training with much more urgency. They were completely even in attacks, seeing as how they were the same being and all. They engaged in one last lightning-quick exchange of attacks until the primary Piccolo decided it was enough, drawing the clone back within him.<p>

The Namekian wiped off his sweat covered forehead and folded his arms across his purple Gi. He was training significantly harder than he had before. He knew he was going to have to become stronger than that beast, Avocado, to even have a chance against the rest of Frieza's men, and that required him pushing himself beyond his limits. He had considered going about joining the Saiyans in their training so he could have worthy sparring partners, but his pride and disgust overcame that notion.

As Piccolo stood in the middle of the vast terrain, gazing aimlessly, he felt a familiar Ki signal come up behind him. Piccolo hissed in annoyance. "What the hell are you doing here, _Kami?_"

Piccolo's aged good half gave a light-hearted chuckle. "You always were pretty hyper-sensitive to my presence, Piccolo."

"If you're just here to engage in ridiculous small talk, then get the hell away from me, _now_," Piccolo snarled, his temper from being in the man's presence growing.

Tense silence filled the air for several minutes as Kami and Piccolo remained standing, until Kami spoke up. "One year, Piccolo."

"Until what?"

"Frieza and his army arrive."

"Hn."

"I trust that you have been training vigorously for that day, Piccolo?" Kami inquired.

"What a ridiculous question, old man," Piccolo snorted.

Kami laughed once again, but it was more bitter in tone. "You know, don't you?"

"Of what?" Piccolo asked, though he already had an idea of what Kami was talking about.

"Your fate."

"I'm not interested in discussing it, old man. Fate isn't set in stone, anyway," Piccolo scoffed.

"I do wonder about one thing, though," Kami said, falling into thought. "_Our heritage_. Ever since that Saiyan revealed our planet of origin, it has consumed my thoughts. I can't remember for the life of me what Planet Namek was like. I'm sure you wonder, too. After all, we were likely still one being when we lived on such a planet."

Piccolo let out an irritated hiss, growing tired of Kami's company. "It doesn't concern me at all! Now leave me in peace, you senile old fool!"

"If you say so, Piccolo," Kami said with a smirk, taking off into the sky.

* * *

><p>Gohan was hovering in the air, gazing aimlessly at the city hundreds of feet below him. It was incredibly busy, the sounds of humans conversing, engines rumbling, and car horns honking being among the millions of things traveling to half-Saiyan's sensitive ears. He had been hovering in the same spot for several hours now, his hands twitching involuntarily every few minutes. He was contemplating blowing the city to smithereens.<p>

Whatever effect Earth was having on Gohan was tormenting him. He had spent years cleansing himself of all emotions besides anger, but it seemed like with every second he spent on this mudball, waves of other foreign emotions were slowly consuming him. It was something he had to put a stop to, and he figured wiping one measly city off the map would be enough for Gohan to prove to himself that he was still the remorseless killer he had prided himself in being. There was one small little problem, though –

He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Gohan had raised his arm towards the sea of buildings and roads several times over the last few hours, summoning a sufficiently destructive amount of Ki to his palm. And yet each and every time, the frightening blast that he was intending to release could never escape from his hand.

Gohan furiously rubbed at his temple. _What the hell is happening to me…?_ Blowing up a city was among one of Gohan's most standard procedures. Earth wasn't supposed to be any different from the various other planets he had purged in his lifetime. He was so sure of himself that he could exterminate life on here and not feel a twinge of guilt. And yet, he just couldn't do it for some reason.

"There you are, Gohan."

Gohan let the wind blow through his hair as he turned around to look at Vegeta, who was a few feet away from him, his arms folded over his chest. His lips curled into a smirk. "Wanting to get your hands dirty with this planet's population, I see?"

Gohan absent-mindedly grunted in response. Vegeta noted Gohan's odd disposition, but didn't think much of it. He raised his arm towards the city, eliciting visible alarm from Gohan. "Well now, you can't just go and not let _me_ have a little fun, too."

"Don't."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean, kid?"

"Don't destroy it," Gohan ordered, his voice subdued. He could hardly even recognize the sound of it.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, as he was able to read Gohan's emotions with ease. "You've been allowing this planet to make you grow soft, haven't you?" It was a question, but Vegeta intoned it as a statement. Gohan offered no response, instead clenching his fists tightly at his sides.

"You are aware of just _who_ is headed here as we speak, correct?" Vegeta inquired, fixing Gohan with an unreadable glaze.

"Yes."

Vegeta shook his head, releasing an annoyed sigh. "So I'm assuming you _also_ know that now is _not_ the time to let everything I have taught you fall to the wayside?" he asked, his tone rising.

"I _won't_, Vegeta," Gohan stressed, never taking his eyes away from the city.

"Then do it. Blow this city to kingdom come. If you haven't forgotten any of my teachings, then you will do it without batting an eye," Vegeta ordered, his voice stern.

Gohan slowly lifted his right arm. It was trembling uncontrollably, making Gohan's face scrunch up in agitation. His palm began glowing with a lethal Ki, harnessing enough power to wipe out entire civilizations. Gohan grinded on his teeth hard, practically feeling Vegeta's expectant eyes looming over him. All he had to do was fire. He had done it millions of times in his lifetime and felt _nothing_ over it, so it shouldn't have been so hard to do now, right?

However, to his and Vegeta's frustration, the light diminished. "I…I can't."

"Perhaps I need to show you how it's done," Vegeta hissed, already gathering a destructive amount of Ki to his palm. He was getting ready to fire off the blast to vaporize the city, until Gohan suddenly phased right in front of him. His stare was intense.

"Don't do it, Vegeta!" he demanded, his voice cracking.

Vegeta was so surprised his eyes blinked through wide eyes several times, though he was soon curling his lips back in disgust. "Unbelievable," he sneered before turning around and flying back to West City.

Gohan fiercely shut his eyes, feeling sick to his stomach. He felt a series of conflicting emotions coursing through him. Among them was anguish over his inability to do something so standard to him, yet at the same time, something deep within the recesses of his mind was disgusted with that feeling. Not wanting to be near the city he failed to destroy a second longer, Gohan flew away to Capsule Corporation.

* * *

><p>Several hours later at night, in the gravity room, a vicious battle was being waged. Gohan and Vegeta's sparring session was the toughest yet thus far, taking place under 300 times normal gravity. And it wasn't just the increased pressure that was making the fight a rough affair – Gohan was fighting with an alarming level of brutality. It seemed like he was out to prove that he <em>wasn't<em> changing to his longtime comrade. Vegeta was pleased with Gohan's renewed vigor, but at the same time, he was flustered as well. He was piling up a large amount of injuries in this fight.

Gohan landed a particularly nasty kick to Vegeta's ribs, making the full-blooded Saiyan unnervingly sink to the floor rather than flying back. He let out a strained gasp, clutching at his abdomen as he rolled around on the floor. Gohan didn't seem to care, however, instead circling in on the wounded prince like a vulture. Vegeta slowly stood back up to his feet, though his movements were alarmingly rigid. Gohan kicked him hard across the face, sending him flying across the wide room.

Vegeta crashed into the wall hard, feeling spasms in his back as he sank to the floor. He didn't get any more than a few seconds to catch his breath, however, as Gohan rocketed straight towards him and ruthlessly drove his knee right into his stomach. Vegeta let out an unearthly scream, falling to his knees on the floor while clutching at his stomach with both arms.

Gohan took an alarmed step back when he saw the excessive amount of blood Vegeta spat out as he groveled. His breathing was ragged, sounding more like hoarse gurgling sounds. _Dammit,_ Gohan cursed, _I took it too far!_

Gohan stood there, waiting for Vegeta to get back up as he always had after experiencing a painful blow. However, he instead fell flat on the red floor, landing on his chin. His eyes were fiercely shut, and he was spitting up even more blood.

"Shit!" Gohan yelled as he rushed towards the control panel. He turned the gravity simulator back down to normal levels, sighing as he felt the pressure drift away from him. He ran back towards Vegeta, eyeing the prince with concern.

"Are you alright, Vegeta?" Gohan asked. He was instead answered with the sound of another gurgled cough. It was quite obvious that Vegeta was suffering internal bleeding, which could potentially be dangerous.

Wasting no time, Gohan gingerly lifted Vegeta up, carrying his weight on his shoulders as best as he could. He dragged Vegeta out of the space capsule and towards the compound, doing his best to block out the loud gasps Vegeta was letting out. The prince was teetering on the edge of consciousness, so Gohan had to arrive soon.

Gohan kicked the front door hard, but it won't budge. A voice soon came in from the speaker. "Who's this?" Gohan recognized it as Bulma's.

"Open up, Bulma!" Gohan urgently shouted.

Seconds later, Bulma swung the door open. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Vegeta slung over Gohan's shoulder, coughing hoarsely. There was a growing puddle of blood staining the floor below him.

"Oh my goodness, what happened here?" Bulma asked, covering her mouth in disgust when she saw Vegeta cough up more blood.

"I think he's bleeding internally," Gohan bleakly replied.

"Crap, we have to get him medical attention immediately," Bulma worriedly replied, turning around in the direction of the infirmary. "Hurry up and follow me!"

Gohan nodded and walked after Bulma as quickly as his body would allow. He dragged Vegeta upstairs, not caring that some of his blood was spilling onto his own skin. When they reached the emergency room, Gohan hurriedly placed Vegeta on the bed. He appeared to already be unconscious. Bulma glanced at the Saiyan, shaking her head.

"Geez, Gohan, what did you do to him?" Bulma asked.

"Does it matter?" Gohan growled. "Just help him!"

Bulma's eye twitched, but she turned her attention back to Vegeta. As she went about setting up his bed and the proper medical equipment, Gohan left the room, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall. He was letting this planet get to him far too much for his liking. He had very nearly killed Vegeta in trying to show him that he was still a hardened murderer, and it was completely unacceptable.

Once Bulma had properly set up the CPR equipment and IV cords, she snuck a glance at Vegeta. Even in his unconscious state, he still looked like he was fighting. To her relief, he seemed to be breathing again, though his breaths were ragged and harsh. He was gripping tightly at the cord of his breathing mask, though he didn't seem to be tugging it.

"F-Frieza…"

Bulma walked up Vegeta's bed, gently grabbing his arm and pulling it away from the cord. He flinched, but otherwise didn't react to her, instead panting heavily. His forehead was soaked, sweat spilling onto his tightly squeezed his eyes.

"Y-you'll pay…you rotten son of a bitch…" he hoarsely said. "I-I'll show you…!"

"Vegeta, are you alright?" Bulma asked, her voice growing nervous. He seemed to despise this Frieza fellow, not just as a standard opponent, but as a sworn enemy. Vegeta's breathing was becoming more restless, as he tossed and turned in his bed. Bulma grabbed Vegeta tightly, trying to put him under control. "Vegeta, calm down!"

Vegeta let out a low groan before stopping his sudden movement, lying back down on his bed. He had overheard the familiar yells of the blue-haired woman, but they seemed to be coming in an out as he drifted back out of consciousness. All he could think about was Frieza…

_"If we're being completely honest, even from the first day you were brought to me, I suspected that you would grow a sharp tongue…" Frieza darkly chuckled, making his methodical approach towards the restless four-year old Saiyan prince. He placed both of his icy hands on his shoulders, making Vegeta cringe in disgust._

_"Get off of me, you freak!" Vegeta protested before he was suddenly shoved forward, Frieza slamming his knee into his stomach. It seemed to have hurt a lot more than it should have, as if his ribs had already been injured beforehand. Vegeta sank to the floor, spitting up a mouthful of blood._

_Frieza ruthlessly slammed his foot down on Vegeta's chest, making the prince scream in agony. "And so, I thus find it necessary to provide you with some good ol' fashioned disciplinary action."_

_The pressure of Frieza's foot heightened as Vegeta's gasps for air grew. Frieza released his foot but then slammed it into Vegeta's jaw, flinging him into the wall several feet away. Vegeta spat out more blood, a fire building up throughout him over the tyrant he was determine to one day kill. His eyes fluttered in horror as he saw Frieza raise his finger, which began glowing with a pink light._

_"Time to teach you a few things, monkey prince…"_

"I'm not a fucking monkey!" Vegeta roughly shouted, rising from his pillow and nearly knocking Bulma over. Bulma felt her chest tighten at Vegeta's words. Was he talking to her? "C-curse you, Frieza!"

"Oh my God…" Bulma whispered. That must have been why he got so angry when she called him a monkey earlier. Had Frieza used it as a mocking insult towards him during his servitude? She gasped in surprise when she saw Vegeta's thrashing increase. He lifted an arm, clenching his fists tightly. It immediately occurred to Bulma that he was likely getting ready to throw a punch capable of knocking an average person's head off from their shoulders. She grabbed his arm, forcing it down to his chest. She lifted Vegeta's head and shook him, trying to wake him back up to relieve him of his nightmare.

"Vegeta, you have to wake up!" Bulma shrieked, placing her hand on the back of Vegeta's head. The Saiyan prince grinded down hard on his teeth, shutting his eyes more fiercely.

"F-Frieza…" Vegeta grit out, repeating his name as if it were some spell.

"Vegeta, wake up," Bulma said, her voice firm. Vegeta's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he let out a low growl as he raised his head. Bulma placed her other hand on his chest to keep him from exerting himself too hard.

"Wh-what are you doing here…?" Vegeta weakly demanded.

"It's okay, Vegeta, you're here on Earth, not with Frieza," Bulma soothingly replied, smiling weakly when she saw Vegeta growing less tense. "He's not here, Vegeta."

Vegeta could only watch Bulma in complete confusion. He remembered his violent spar with Gohan, and how much it had hurt his ribs. And now, the woman was treating him in the medical room. But that wasn't what he found so alarming – was she actually trying to _comfort_ him? "Don't…need…help."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Bulma light-heartedly replied. "But you have to take it easy for a while, those injuries are pretty ugly."

"Ignorant female," Vegeta sneered, making a weak effort to pull her off of him. "I can't 'take it easy,' not until that bastard is defeated."

"True," Bulma conceded. "But even the Prince of all Saiyans needs to rest every now and then."

Vegeta weakly raised an eyebrow at Bulma. Had someone other than a fellow Saiyan just referred to him by his rightful title without the snide sarcasm? He couldn't even begin to wrap his head around the way the woman operated. Vegeta couldn't tell if she was trying to manipulate him, or if she somehow actually cared about his safety. Letting out a sigh, Vegeta buried his head in his pillow. Whatever it was, it didn't matter, because he was still in a heap of pain, and his body was craving rest in lieu of his mind's protests.

"Just leave," Vegeta groaned, closing his eyes. Bulma smiled as she watched his breathing come back under control and he succumbed to sleep, allowing his features to relax. Bulma again notice how much more handsome Vegeta looked when he was calm. Bulma sighed; why she was looking at an apparent genocidal maniac like that in her sleep, she had no clue.

Gohan lay back in his pillow later that night, not particularly in the mood to go to sleep. The half-Saiyan finally resolved that whatever changes Earth was bringing down on him didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. He still utterly detested Frieza, and was sure he would not hesitate to tear him limb from limb once he became strong enough.

And besides, once Frieza was taken out of the picture, Gohan would be a free man. No longer would he have to worry about purging planets, having to maintain his fortitude in a base ruled by a tyrant, walking around with eyes in the back of his head at all times. He would technically be free to do anything he wanted. Gohan wasn't quite sure what, but no matter what it was, it would be far better than his former life.

Perhaps, he could even get used to having Earth as a home again.


	17. The Coming

"Okay, it's not fun when you pull on mommy's hair like that."

Bulma sighed, swatting away the tiny hand that was currently tugging at her long, blue hair. The past few weeks had been especially rough on her, as she had a seemingly endless amount of tasks being piled up on her, a good chunk of them being a result of the figure that was so interested in her hair at the moment. She had spent a good amount of the night putting the finishing touches on the new armor she had prepared for Gohan and Vegeta, the only thing fueling her at the moment being the mug of coffee lying a few inches away from her at the table.

Bulma smiled down at the baby in her arms. He was tiny, being only a month old, with tan skin and bright, blue eyes and a single strand of lavender hair sticking from his head. He looked incredibly flustered, trying his hardest to get another tug at Bulma's hair, but the heiress easily kept him subdued.

Bulma flinched and giggled lightly when she felt something furry rubbing against her left forearm. She glanced over to the perpetrating object – a tail. She looked back at the baby, laughing again. "That tickles, Trunks!"

Bulma watched the furry, brown appendage wiggle around, letting out a content sigh. She never would have guessed eleven months ago that she would ever bear the child of, let alone even _procreate_ with, that terrifying, flame-haired Saiyan warrior who dropped in from space and menacingly arrived at her balcony. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around it. Through persistence, capitalizing on rare moments of vulnerability, and the occasional coercive act, Bulma had somehow managed to form something of a connection with Vegeta. A good amount of it was physical, but there was more to it than just that.

Vegeta was a tough, rugged man, and hard to understand. He never showed her any affection, but during those rare moments, when the Saiyan prince was being the haunted by the memories of his life working under Frieza, she was able to get a glimpse at the complexity of his soul. And not only that, but the typical arguments they broke out into had become a bonding activity in and of itself, their bombardments of insults having a mix of both malicious and playful intent.

Everything wasn't all good, though. Despite Bulma's initial thoughts, Gohan was actually the relatively polite one of the two Saiyans. That timid personality he had going all the way back to when he was first introduced on Master Roshi's island hadn't completely gone away. He was mostly silent, not barking around orders like Vegeta typically did and generally staying out of everyone's way. But over the past couple of months, his temper had become explosive. It seemed like every little thing would set him in a fit of rage. Bulma had suspected that the half-Saiyan would be a bit restless, given how he was likely entering his pubescent stages, but she never would have guessed it would be to such an insane degree, no doubt due to his Saiyan nature. She had spent thousands of Zeni already to repair the various household items that fell victim to Gohan's path of destruction. Not to mention to deter the various lawsuits from employees he had scared off.

Vegeta was so wrapped up in his training he had only seen Trunks about two or three times since he came back from the hospital, though Bulma wasn't surprised by that one bit. The first time, he did nothing but scrutinize his appearance. It was definitely something interesting to see…

_Bulma was walking down the hall, eager to get to the room she had set up for her newborn baby, Trunks. For the past day she had been bombarded with just about everything imaginable – visitors and employees congratulating her, her mother's gossipy friends feverishly trying to get a look at the little boy, calls from old friends wishing her the best of luck. Though she loved the attention, it was positively exhausting. She wanted to tuck Trunks into bed before getting some rest of her own._

_The door to the room was open, which she had figured. What she _hadn't_ figured, however, the presence of the man who had beaten her to his room. Standing in front of Trunks' crib was Vegeta himself, staring down at Trunks with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't seem to notice her presence._

"_I didn't expect you to be here, Vegeta," Bulma said, stepping out from the doorway and approaching the crib._

_Vegeta gave an acknowledging grunt, not even cocking his head to the side to look at Bulma. Trunks lay against his comfortable sheets, kicking his feet out but also looking at his parents with great curiosity filling his young eyes. Bulma smiled; for the son of a perpetually angry space pirate, Trunks sure was a ridiculously cute baby. No doubt due to her genes rounding things out, of course._

"_He doesn't even look like a Saiyan. His eyes are blue."_

_Bulma turned to Vegeta and frowned, not liking the way he was scrutinizing his, _their_, son. "Oh, come on, Vegeta, he's got human blood, too. It's kinda, dare I say, DUMB, to expect him to completely look like one."_

"_Gohan is half-Saiyan, too, but he has black hair and black eyes just like all full-blooded Saiyans," Vegeta snorted._

"_Well, genius, that's because his mother has black hair and black eyes, too," Bulma retorted, resisting the urge to smack Vegeta against the arm. A smirk spread across her face. "I guess it's just because my genes were simply more powerful than yours."_

_Vegeta dangerously narrowed his eyes. "Don't be absurd."_

_Bulma rolled her eyes and looked back at Trunks, raising a curious eyebrow when she saw his brown tail rise up and wiggle around. Trunks was giggling, looking at it like some new toy rather than an extra limb. "We're gonna have to get rid of that thing soon."_

"_The tail stays. At least he'll have _one thing_ that indicates he's a Saiyan," Vegeta gruffly objected._

"_But the risks, Vegeta. We wouldn't want some giant ape rampaging through West City during a full moon," Bulma argued, recalling the incidents involving Goku's transformations._

"_So then put him to bed early on those nights," Vegeta chided, as if it should have been obvious._

"_Fine, you're right Vegeta," Bulma conceded, not missing the victorious snort from Vegeta. "His name is Trunks, by the way."_

"_Trunks? What a ridiculous name," Vegeta scoffed, his eye twitching in disgust._

"_Oh, is that so, Vegeta? And just what would you have come up with, huh almighty Prince?" Bulma retorted, turning to face Vegeta directly. Vegeta indifferently shrugged._

"_Vegeta, of course. He is the heir to the Saiyan throne, and thus he should be named after me," Vegeta declared, seemingly indifferent to the fact that he was the only full-blooded Saiyan that was even alive at the moment._

"_Well it's a little too late for that buddy. Trunks is a traditional name, too, and you weren't there to name him, so there!" Bulma concluded, triumphantly folding her arms over her chest, wearing a victorious smirk._

"_Ah, so you all being named after undergarments wasn't just a coincidence," Vegeta spat, a smirk growing on his face as well._

"_At least it's a lot more exciting than being named after vegetables," Bulma sneered, clinging to what she thought was a verbal victory._

_Vegeta growled, turning on his heel to leave the room. "I have more important matters to deal with than arguing over names," he said as he walked out of the doorway. Bulma sighed and followed him out, remembering something she had been meaning to ask him._

"_Vegeta, wait," Bulma called. Vegeta sighed and stopped, turning his head to the side to acknowledge her._

"_What do you want now?"_

"_I need to know…will you be staying for him?" Bulma asked, though she was already bracing herself for disappointment. Vegeta didn't respond, instead turning his head back forward. The tense silence went on for about a minute, though it felt like years to Bulma._

"_No."_

_Bulma sighed, expecting that reply but still being saddened by it. "But why, Vegeta? He's your son."_

"_And…?" Vegeta questioned, turning to the side to look at Bulma. "After Frieza is defeated, Gohan and I will go out into space and hunt down Frieza's father and brother. Once they are taken care of, we will gather up the remains of their armies and unite them, taking over the throne."_

"_You didn't answer my question, Vegeta: why?" she pressed, her voice firm._

"_Why? What a ridiculous question," Vegeta said with a snort. "It is my destiny to rule, Bulma, not to take it easy and allow myself to regress on some backwards mudball like this."_

"_Fine, Vegeta, I get it," Bulma sighed, tilting her head to the side. "I just thought…you'd want to give Trunks what you nev-"_

"_Don't even go down that road," Vegeta hissed, his voice rising in tone. "I've already done it once, anyway," he muttered under his breath before turning back around and leaving. Bulma groaned, as for as much as she had learned about Vegeta, he still managed to be some abstract puzzle that she had trouble figuring out._

That last statement had left Bulma's mind constantly racing as to what he was referring to. Was he talking about…Gohan? The two Saiyans seemed to have a mutual understanding of each other, beyond just being comrades. Vegeta didn't really go into detail about his life under Frieza, but it seemed like Vegeta had taken on something of a paternal role to Gohan. Even though he was one of the people that forced Gohan into a life of servitude, he also went out of his way to ensure that Gohan was well-prepared and retained his dignity. In a lot of ways, Trunks was almost his _second_ son, not his first.

But that was still no excuse. However, Bulma was well beyond the point of continuing to argue with Vegeta. She had no hope of convincing him, anyway. Bulma set Trunks down on the table of her desk and began typing on her laptop. Enclosed in the shelf directly above her were the seven Dragon Balls, which she had hunted down herself. They were for the purpose of reviving Goku, and she kept them locked up securely because she still didn't trust Vegeta and Gohan not to snatch them up on impulse and wish for immortality.

Bulma let out an exhausted sigh. The last few months were stressful, not just because of her pregnancy, but just from having two Saiyans under her roof, as well as worrying herself over those monsters coming in a little under a month. She just wanted for all of this to be _over_ already. Even if she was going to have to raise a half-Saiyan child by herself, at least she wouldn't be paranoid of some crazy villain trying to blow shit up. Well, at least until Piccolo inevitably decides to take another stab at world domination.

Bulma nearly busted one of the keys on her laptop when Trunks suddenly broke into a fit of large wails. Bulma sighed, already figuring the cause behind his crying. She picked Trunks up and gently rested his head on her chest. "Aww, is little Trunks hungry? Don't worry, I'll get you something yummy!"

Bulma arose from her chair and walked upstairs, heading towards the kitchen. She was surprised to see a familiar figure standing at the counter when she made it to the doorway. "About time you learned how to make coffee for yourself instead barking at me to make it for you, Vegeta."

"Hn."

Vegeta was in the process of pouring himself a cup of coffee, and had heard the incessant wailing of his son even from where he was standing. He figured Bulma would be coming to the kitchen not too shortly after. "Can you cease the boy's wailing and give me peace and quiet?" the Saiyan barked.

"Dammit Vegeta, I'm working on that! Just calm down," Bulma spat back, racing to the cabinet to find a jar of peanut butter. Once she found that, she grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and scooped up a spoonful of peanut butter. She drew the utensil closer to Trunks' face, but the half-Saiyan baby seemed to protest it instead. "You're making this harder than it should be, Tru-"

Bulma nearly leapt back when Trunks suddenly swatted the spoon away from him, sending the metal utensil flying across the room and caving it into the wall. Bulma could only blink in astonishment at how strong the kid already was. She didn't miss the amused snort from Vegeta, although that was soon followed by a growl when Trunks continued crying.

"Well? That obviously didn't work," Vegeta sneered, chugging almost half of his mug at once.

"Crap, where did I put his pacifier?" Bulma asked to herself, turning her head to various parts of the room. She stepped closer to Vegeta. "Here, hold him while I look for it."

Vegeta's face contorted into a scowl. "Don't be ridiculous, even a weak human like you can still hold him in one arm!"

"It'll only be for a minute, Vegeta! Here, take him," Bulma argued, shoving Trunks right at Vegeta's face. Vegeta hissed through his teeth but took him anyway, not being in the mood to press the issue further. He gingerly and awkwardly lifted Trunks by both of his armpits, looking at him with annoyance as he hung in his grip. To both his and Bulma's surprise, Trunks wails solely came to a halt. The baby stifled back a few tears before looking at his father with a hint of curiosity.

Bulma's eyes lit up. "Holy crap, _you_ actually got him to stop crying!"

Vegeta looked at Bulma as if she had just grown a third eye in the middle of her forehead. Trying to salvage a bit of dignity, however, he forced an arrogant smirk. "The boy is obviously aware of my commanding presence; I don't blame him."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Bulma said dismissively. "You're like Trunks' teddy bear!"

Vegeta's smirk quickly contorted back into a look of revulsion as he replied, "You will _not_ compare to me to such contemptible toys! Here, take the brat back now that he's done bawling!"

Bulma was about to reach out and grab Trunks, until a light bulb went off in her head. This was the perfect opportunity, and she was going to seize it. "Hold on, let me get something. I'll be right back!" With that, she ran out of the kitchen.

Vegeta growled as he watched the mother of his son that he was holding in his hands leave. Vegeta turned his eyes back to Trunks, looking at his tail coil and uncoil from behind him. The Prince of All Saiyans still couldn't comprehend how he now had a biological son. He had tried at all cost to prevent himself from having an offspring, deeming it a weakness. However, he had noticed on numerous occasions that his partnership with Gohan was practically a father-son relationship in and of itself. Though his experiences with Gohan had _slightly_ warmed him up to the idea, this still hit him like an anvil.

His musings were cut off, however, when Trunks reached up and yanked one of his large spikes with his small hand. Vegeta winced in pain; that kid had a ridiculously tight grip. "Brat, get your damn hand off of my fu-"

*SNAP!*

Vegeta shut his eyes to shield them from the flash of light that occurred just as he was chastising Trunks. He opened them back up moments later, blinking a few times. In front of him was Bulma, holding a camera over her face. Bulma lowered the device and smiled brightly.

"Perfect!"

Vegeta directed a glare at Bulma that would have made even the most decorated warriors squirm in fear. "You actually put that on _record_?"

"You betcha!" Bulma beamed as she looked down on the freeze frame in the camera. It really was perfect – Trunks, laughing while he yanked a fistful of Vegeta's flame-like hair while the prince looked at him with a mix of anger, shock, and pain. Bulma breathed a long sigh, knowing that Vegeta wasn't going to be around for much longer. But the memory from the picture was going to be with her for the rest of her days.

Bulma's head jerked back when the bright face of her son was shoved inches in front of her own. "Here, take the little demon seed, Bulma."

Bulma grabbed Trunks and then looked at Vegeta with a smirk. "The demon part obviously comes from you."

Vegeta returned her look with a smirk of his own. However, it wasn't the sadistic, sinister one she was used to seeing. If such an occurrence wasn't completely unfeasible, she would have sworn it was something resembling an actual smile.

"Damn right it does."

* * *

><p>Gohan was punching rapidly at the air in his room. He had just consumed a Senzu bean, which he had come to realize over the last eleven months were <em>extremely<em> useful. They not only healed all of his injuries, but restored his power as well. The beans played an integral role in his growth.

Gohan exhaled through his nose before leaving his room and walking down the hall. He stepped into another room, this one being plain and resembling a laundry room. However, unique to it was a special scale lying in the corner of the room, which Gohan set his eyes to. He walked to the scale and stepped atop it, watching intently as the digital numbers flipped by. A smirk from ear to ear spread on his face when he saw the number:

_420,000._

Although it looked like an ordinary weight scale, the object Gohan was standing on was actually a power level measurement device, designed by Bulma. She used the technology from the scouter left behind by Cado to create a mechanism capable of inspecting a user's power level. Though it could have been made as nothing more than a traditional scanner, Bulma insisted on making it look like a weight scale because it was "stylish."

Gohan raised his arms towards his face and stared blankly at his palms. He balled them up into tightly squeezed fists as he stifled a bit of laughter. He was so close to that magic number – 530,000, Frieza's power level. All he needed was a couple of more days' worth of work, and he and Vegeta would be set.

Gohan left the room with a bit of a spring in his step, thoroughly satisfied with his power increase. He and Vegeta had thoroughly mastered 500 times gravity and had come out unbelievably stronger. Any of Frieza's goons, even the Ginyu Force, would be defeated with simplicity at their hands. Now, Gohan and Vegeta were focused on keeping their routine steady, pushing their power even further so that Frieza would be begging for mercy when he reached Earth.

Gohan stepped into the kitchen, where Bulma was laughing with Trunks in her arms while Vegeta was sitting in a chair at the table with a coffee mug, looking irritated. "Ah, good, both of you are here now," Bulma said. "I've got something to show you two." Bulma stood up and strapped Trunks into his high chair before storming out of the kitchen. Vegeta and Gohan exchanged glances with each other, wondering what Bulma had to show.

About a minute later, Bulma came back with a large, white box, one resembling a suitcase. She laid it down on the table and pressed a button in between the black handlebars. The case popped open, revealing something that made Gohan and Vegeta raise intrigued eyebrows.

"I finally made you guys new armor!"

Vegeta and Gohan leaned in closely, watching the garments contained in the case. The color schemes for them were exactly the same as the ones they had commandeered for the entirety of their employment as soldiers, Vegeta's set coming with a blue bodysuit, and white and gold armor, while Gohan had a black suit and black and green armor. The two Saiyans lifted their plates of armor, inspecting them. The designs were much sleeker than before, the crotch guards absent and the shoulder guards replaced with colored straps.

"So, what do you guys think?" Bulma asked.

"It's decent," they both monotonously replied at the same time.

Bulma smiled. That was Saiyan-ese for "I Love It," she concluded. "Replicating the material used was pretty tough; it was made out of some rubber that I couldn't find anywhere on the planet, so I had to invent it myself," she explained, with a big of smugness in her voice.

As if to confirm what she was saying, Vegeta grabbed hold of both ends of the armor and outstretched his arms, watching as the armor stretched with them and not bearing a single crack as he went further. Vegeta gave an approving grunt before setting the plate on the table. Not caring that they were in the kitchen, Gohan and Vegeta stripped to their boxers and began dressing in the new armor to see how comfortable it was, Vegeta silently praying Mrs. Briefs wasn't anywhere around.

After putting on the body suit, armor, and boots, Gohan slid the second glove over his hand. He stretched his arms out a bit. The uniform was indeed lighter than his old set, due to the absence of shoulder and crotch guards. He could move a bit more freely than before, swinging his arms around with little effort.

"Looking good, you two!" Bulma marveled, though it was more in praise of herself.

"Hn."

Vegeta folded his arms over his white chest plate and wrapped his tail securely around his waist. It was a bit invigorating to be back in his armor, modified or not. He felt a sense of natural power in the uniform, his colors being a symbol of pride. Vegeta smirked – it was nice to know what he would be wearing when he crushed Frieza's skull beneath his foot.

"I've got a few more sets too, so don't worry about wearing them out all that much," Bulma said as she brought a spoon of strawberry pudding towards Trunks, who joyously brought it to his mouth.

Vegeta nodded and left the kitchen, Gohan following his trail. The half-Saiyan was looking at his palms, still mulling over that power level reading. "My power level hit 420,000 now."

"Well now, it looks like I've got some competition," Vegeta said with an amused snort.

Gohan smirked. "I believe your power level's still at 400,000, Vegeta. _Still_ not quite at my level," the half-Saiyan condescendingly responded.

Vegeta looked over at Gohan, his eyes narrowing. "I can change that now, if you wish."

Gohan stopped in his tracks, outstretching his arms and squeezing his fists at his sides. "Well, there's a gravity room waiting; let's see you try."

Vegeta gave a challenging smirk of his own. "Oh yes, we will see, alright."

* * *

><p>In a place far removed from the Earth, or even that portion of the universe, Goku sat down on a field of grass, letting out an exhausted sigh. He had spent another day training on the tiny green planet that hovered hundreds of feet above the end of Snake Way. It was the eleventh month; just as he had assured the ogre that guided him, Goku had blazed through Snake Way in just a couple of hours. After that, he met King Kai on this planet and successfully completed his challenges. Goku had far surpassed the level of gravity on the planet and was thus able to adjust to things quickly. He spent the near-year perfecting the techniques King Kai taught him.<p>

Goku was about to lean back and lay down on the grass, when a tire flew right at him and knocked him right across the face, sending him into the grass anyway. Goku rubbed at his aching nose before jumping up to his feet, looking annoyed.

"Jeez, King Kai, watch where you throw those things!" Goku complained, still rubbing his nose.

A loud, throaty laughter rang through as the deity himself walked towards Goku, wearing a large black tunic with his symbol on it and having pale, blue skin. His black shades were shining as he laughed. "Gee, Goku, I guess you can say that one…really knocked you dead!" he joked, covering his mouth to hold back his growing laughter. "Get it…because you already _are_ dead!"

There was silence.

King Kai awkwardly cleared his throat. "Anyways, sorry about that, Goku. I was fixing my car because _Bubbles_ decided it'd be a good idea to try and lift it up," King Kai chided, looking in the direction of his pet monkey.

Goku began stretching his arms. "Well, that's okay." Goku raised one fist and clenched it tightly. "Man, I feel like I'm so ready now!"

"I have to say, you have done an excellent job at mastering the Kaio-ken. You've taken it to levels not even _I_ could bring it to!" King Kai praised, nodding as he did so. "I don't really think there's much else for me to teach you now!"

Goku waved a dismissive hand at King Kai. "Aww, don't say that, I think I can still improve a little bit."

"Well, you could do better in the joke department," King Kai snorted.

Goku laughed before his expression became more solemn. "Do you mind telling me how much longer it will be until Frieza and his army arrives?"

King Kai sighed before turning around. His two large, black antennae twitched, denoting his concentration as he tried to pinpoint the locations in space. His antennae violently sparked, causing him to nearly fall on the floor. "Whoa, there's so many of them! At the speed the space pods are traveling, they'll be here some time _tomorrow_!"

Goku's brows furrowed. "Tomorrow, huh? I guess now I should tell my friends to wish me back to life."

King Kai nodded. "Now, Goku, I want you to heed my advice. Be _extremely_ careful around Frieza. With your strength now, you should be able to give his elites a run for their money, but Frieza…he's still too much, Goku!"

"I know, I know," Goku coolly replied. "But, I'm sure my son and Vegeta have been training even harder than I have, Bulma's gravity room ain't a joke, let me tell you!"

"Regardless, be safe. Try to finish Frieza as soon as possible, if you can. Don't allow him to become irritated, because the entire universe could come into danger," King Kai warned.

"I'll be sure of it," Goku proclaimed, trying to control his anticipation of the incoming battle. "Now then, how am I gonna make contact with my friends?"

King Kai turned around, giving Goku his back. "Just place your hand on my back and try to reach out to them with your mind."

Goku nodded and did as directed. "Like this, right?"

"Correct."

Goku shut his eyes, trying to focus on where his friends were. He narrowed down his concentration to a familiar figure inhabiting a small island in the middle of nowhere. _"Hey…Master Roshi? Can you hear me? It's Goku."_

On Earth, Master Roshi was sitting in the bathroom of his pink house, reading the newspaper. He was focused on reading, when suddenly a familiar voice rang in his mind. "G-Goku? What in the blazes…? Where are you?" he yelled, looking around the cramped room for any sign of his former pupil.

"_I'm in Other World! I'm talking to you through your mind!"_ Goku enthusiastically replied.

"Other World, huh?" Roshi mused out loud. "So, what's the issue? What do you need, Goku?"

"_Do you have all of the Dragon Balls?" _Goku asked.

Master Roshi cupped his chin, trying to recall what happened with those. "Hmm…I believe Bulma found them."

"_Oh, good! Can you call her and tell her to summon Shenron so he can bring me back to life? Frieza and his army should be coming sometime tomorrow."_

Roshi nearly fell off of the toilet. "Wait a minute…TOMORROW? That's a whole month sooner than Bulma said!"

"_Well then hurry! I should be joining you all shortly," _Goku replied, sweat trailing down his forehead. He was a bit concerned for his friends, now – what if they weren't fully prepared?

"Alright, alright," Master Roshi replied. "Anyway, how has your training in Other World or whatever gone?"

"_It was great!_"

"Good. Now, I'll get to calling Bulma," Roshi replied, standing up and pulling his pants up with one hand.

Goku released his hand from King Kai's back. "Wow, that really did work! I was talking right to him!"

"Indeed. Now then, as we wait for you to be revived, let's fix up those clothes of yours," King Kai said, observing Goku's dirt and tear-ridden martial arts uniform. With a twitch of his antennae, King Kai zapped a fresh set for Goku, one that was identical to what he had been wearing previously.

"Wow, this is great!" Goku marveled, looking down at his gi. "And it's really light, too!"

"Yup, that's right. It's made of a powerful fabric that will even bounce back minor attacks," King Kai explained.

"You even left the Turtle symbol. I was afraid you'd give me some ugly clothes like yours!" Goku bluntly remarked.

"Gee, how polite of you, Goku," King Kai deadpanned.

Goku turned around, looking at the vast emptiness of Other World. "Man, I can't wait to come back to life!"

King Kai smirked, observing the design on the back of Goku's gi that was now on display. It was the same symbol as the one he was wearing on his tunic. "Of course, I _do_ think the back design is pretty cool…"

Master Roshi jumped out of his bathroom door and rushed towards his phone. He picked it up and dialed the right number.

"Hey, Bulma…? I have some important news…"

* * *

><p>"What the fuck do you mean, tomorrow?"<p>

Bulma inched back a little bit, very frightened by the looks of intense anger etched on the faces of Gohan and Vegeta. "Th-that's what Master Roshi told me, Vegeta. He got the news from Goku himself!"

Vegeta slammed his fist down on the kitchen table, nearly snapping one of its legs. "But I thought you said it would be _twelve_ months, not _eleven_! Did you really flub a thing as important as _that_?"

Bulma's eyebrows furrowed in agitation as she sot Vegeta a furious glare. "Look, buddy, that was the approximation the scouter gave me! That was just a rough estimation! There are a _billion_ of logistical issues that could explain why they're here sooner!"

Vegeta growled and ran his hands through his hair. This wasn't good. Yes, he had tremendously approved in the last eleven months. If the Ginyu Force were to challenge him, he would be able to destroy them all without breaking a sweat. But _Frieza_? There was still work to do, and if he were to fight him _tomorrow_, Vegeta was sure he would be disposed of easily.

Gohan punched the wall so hard he formed a hole in it, getting no protests from Bulma either. "Dammit! What are we going to do now?"

Bulma swallowed heavily in her throat. She could tell that the Saiyans were on the cusp of complete desperation. It wouldn't be long until they were demanding for her to give them the Dragon Balls, she concluded. And she was halfway tempted to hand them over, anyway. Regardless, however, she had gathered them for a specific purpose – to revive Goku. She wasn't going to renege on that promise and let Gohan and Vegeta have immortality.

"Look, guys, I'm sure we can manage something!" Bulma assured, trying to provide a semblance of optimism in attempt to calm the explosive tempers of the Saiyans.

"Like _what,_ woman?" Vegeta barked, his face twisting into a nasty snarl. "We were counting on using the remaining few weeks to push ourselves over the top, but now what?"

Bulma sighed in agitation. "I…I'll try to figure something out, you guys. Just…give me some time to think," she said as she turned on her heel to head out of the kitchen.

"And just where are you going?" Vegeta demanded.

"Out. Just give me an hour or so," Bulma called out, running down to her lab. It was a half-truth. She was going out, but it was to fly to a faraway location to summon Shenron and wish Goku back to life. She was sure he would provide a tremendous amount of help to the Earth. Bulma had to fly as far away as possible, though, because she was absolutely sure that if she summoned Shenron in the backyard of the compound, Vegeta and Gohan would jump in and wish for immortality.

Bulma stormed into her laboratory and grabbed the box lying on the shelf above her desk. She opened it, making sure the seven Dragon Balls were still in there. They were indeed there, glowing brightly, waiting to have their power summoned. Bulma shut the box and dug into her pocket, where she found the capsule for her jet. Bulma ran back out of the basement and rushed out of the front door, missing the furious glares from Gohan and Vegeta.

Bulma ran into the front yard and tossed her capsule to the ground, which exploded into the jet. Bulma hopped into it as fast as her legs would allow. She mentally slapped herself for going around in such a rush, wondering whether or not she roused any suspicion among the two Saiyans living in her household.

_Dammit, Bulma, now's not the time to worry about that! Just hurry!_ She chided before slamming down on the control button to send her jet blasting off into the sky, its destination being a faraway wasteland.

About an hour later, Bulma arrived at a vast canyon area, landing her jet on a clear patch of land. Bulma rushed out of the jet and grabbed the case, and then spilled the Dragon Balls down on to floor. Bulma bit down on her bottom lip, her mind still being a bit of a mess.

Little did she know, she was being watched. However, it wasn't a Saiyan. Instead, it was Piccolo, who just so happened to be meditating in that same area. He had heard the sound of an engine coming towards the spot and was now interested to see who the jet belonged to. The Namekian was surprised to find out it was Goku's old friend, Bulma. What was she doing all the way out here?

Piccolo stepped forward a few feet, wincing to get a good look at what was laying a few feet away from her. His eyes widened in surprise. "The Dragon Balls…?"

"Come forth, Shenron, and grant me my wish!"

In response to Bulma's calling, the seven Dragon Balls intensified in their glow. A large, upward stream of light suddenly burst from the balls, shooting high up into the clouds. The sky became dark as thunder and lightning rumbled through the atmosphere all throughout the planet. The light began to take shape, forming into the figure of a Dragon. Soon, the light faded away, unveiling the immense form of the eternal dragon himself, Shenron. He lout a loud, deep growl, one that made Bulma sweat even after all of these years.

"**I SHALL GRANT YOU ONE WISH."**

Piccolo folded his arms over his chest. "Ah, so the time to wish Son Goku back to life has at last come," he mused, before his eyes billowed up. "Wait, does that mean that Frieza is coming here sooner than expected?"

"Please bring Son Goku back to life!" Bulma yelled.

Shenron's intense, red eyes glowed brightly. **"IT SHALL BE DONE…"**

On King Kai's planet, Goku stood expectantly. He looked up over his head, and lit up in surprise when he saw the bright halo fade away. "Oh, look, my halo's gone!"

"Fantastic, you're alive!" King Kai cheered. "Now, hurry up and get to Earth!"

"Right!" Goku turned around, preparing himself to spring off of the planet.

"Remember what I told you, Goku. Frieza is more fearsome than any enemy you have ever faced. Be on guard at all times – you won't be able to come back to life next time," King Kai advised.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Goku nonchalantly replied. He smirked and raised one thumb. "Thanks for everything, King Kai! I'll be sure to visit you if I die again! SEE YA!" With that, Goku leapt off of King Kai's Planet, landing onto the vast road that was Snake Way.

Bulma watched as the Dragon Balls scattered off into the sky and the clouds cleared up, the sun shining brightly once more. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy that she was able to get Goku revived without incident. Just as quickly, however, she froze in fear when a familiar voice yelled out from behind her.

"What the hell just happened over here?" Vegeta asked from up above him, with a suspicious glare. Gohan was right next to him, looking equally suspicious.

Bulma's heart was pounding rapidly. "Uh, Vegeta, you're here…! Heh heh, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that!"

Vegeta and Gohan floated down to her, landing just a few feet away. Vegeta drummed his fingers against his forearm, his eyes darkened in suspicion. "Well, start explaining. I find it interesting how that cataclysmic event happened not to soon after I felt your Ki stop moving."

Bulma swallowed heavily in her throat. She wouldn't be able to fib her away out of this situation, not with Vegeta, who was practically a certified lied detector. Bulma took a deep breath, trying to be as calm as possible. "Look…I just finished using the Dragon Balls to wish back Goku. I had to, Vegeta."

There was silence. Vegeta and Gohan were staring at Bulma with an intensity that made her confidence shrink at the seams. Their eyes were filled with barely contained madness, making Bulma almost completely sure that they were about to kill her in cold blood.

Not being able to stand the stunning silence any longer, Bulma released a deep breath, raising both of her hands. "Uh…guys…?"

Vegeta released an unearthly growl and threateningly advanced towards Bulma. "You sneaky, lying, _bitch_! Do you not realize what you have just done? You wasted your wish on that third class dog when you could have just made us _immortal_?"

Bulma stammered nervously, the reckless tone in Vegeta's voice genuinely scaring her. "I made a promise, Vegeta, so just calm down!"

"Calm down? You just squandered our last fucking chance at defeating Frieza, woman!" Vegeta snarled. It was taking all of his discipline to keep him from flying off the handle and murdering Bulma in a fit of rage.

"Vegeta, Gohan: listen to me," Bulma said, trying to keep calm. "Goku will be able to help you guys, I kno-"

"Bullshit! Do you have _any clue_ how strong Frieza is?" Gohan barked, his blood boiling with fresh anger. "He'll destroy us as we are now, father or no father!"

"It's not as hopeless as you fools may think."

Gohan, Bulma, and Vegeta all ceased their argument, looking over their shoulders to see the source of that voice. There he was: Piccolo. The Namekian floated down to where they were standing, sneering in disgust in the direction of Gohan and Vegeta.

"Namekian," Vegeta tersely greeted.

"Saiyan," Piccolo replied evenly.

They stared at each other for a few seconds until Gohan cut in. "What do you mean, Piccolo? What the hell could possibly make things less hopeless?"

Piccolo held back the revulsion in his stomach over being in the presence of the Saiyans again before replying, "There's a room over on Kami's Lookout in the Sacred Realm that will allow you two train for one year within the span of 24 hours on this plain. It's called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Vegeta and Gohan's anger slowly started to subside into great intrigue. Vegeta inched towards Piccolo. "A-are you serious?"

"Yes, Saiyan," Piccolo replied.

Vegeta's lips curled into a smirk at a methodical pace. He let out a small bit of laughter, which eventually morphed into cackles filled with madness that made even Gohan wince uncomfortable, though he was feeling a bit of joy himself. Vegeta looked at Piccolo with a sideways smirk. "I actually have to thank you for something, Namekian! Now, lead the way to this room."

Piccolo nodded and turned around, though Bulma interrupted. "Wait, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked over his shoulder at Bulma. "What now?"

Bulma let out a sigh, looking down at the ground as she tried to find the right words. "I probably won't see you until after this fight is over…"

"…and?" Vegeta questioned, not knowing what Bulma was babbling on about.

Bulma looked Vegeta directly in the eye. "Just…be careful, okay?"

Vegeta glanced at her for a second before rolling his eyes and turning his head back around. "Foolish woman. As if that matters anyway," he grumbled before turning to Gohan. "Let's go, kid." Vegeta blasted off into the sky, following Piccolo.

"You be careful too, Gohan," Bulma said, just as Gohan squatted to leap into the sky.

"Hn."

Gohan flew away, flying after Vegeta and Piccolo. Bulma watched as the blue streak left by Vegeta's Ki faded out into the distance. She sighed again, before mouthing the words, "I love you," and walking back to her jet.

Vegeta and Gohan followed Piccolo's flight towards the lookout, flying upwards and past Korin's tower. They flew higher up into the atmosphere, where the air became thicker and more humid, eventually reaching the vast sanctuary. Piccolo landed on the temple's tiled floor first, and Gohan and Vegeta came soon after.

Already standing there and waiting for the trio were Krillin, Yamcha, and two other warriors – one was short, with pale white skin and two red dots on his face. The other one was a tall, lean warrior, bald and with a third eye on his forehead. The tall one looked at Gohan with intrigue.

"So is this Goku's boy?" he asked, looking in Krillin's direction.

"Yup. Looks a lot like him, huh Tien?" Krillin asked.

"We're not here for pleasantries, if you haven't noticed," Piccolo sneered. Vegeta glanced at him, silently commending him for spitting out what he was just about to about to yell. "I'm assuming you all know that Frieza and his men are arriving tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Kami told us," Krillin replied. "Goku's been wished back too, apparently."

Gohan scanned the Ki signals of the four fighters. Though they were still weaker than his, they had greatly improved from what Vegeta said he felt of them before. At the very least, they'd be able to take out a good portion of Frieza's faceless henchmen as they were at the moment.

"Ah, you three are here, as expected."

All eyes turned to Kami, who approached the group alongside Mr. Popo. He gave an approving nod to the three warriors that had just flown in. "Yes, you have all greatly improved. I suspect you all are here to inquire about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, no?"

"That's right, old man," Piccolo said, his usual disgust towards Kami coming to the surface.

Kami was about to open his mouth to respond, until he felt a large Ki signature drawing in. Only he, with his heavenly abilities could detect it, as it was at the check-in station at King Yemma's palace. _Goku!_ Kami cleared his throat. "Excuse me for a second."

Kami vanished, leaving Gohan and the others curious as to why the old Namekian vanished. A few seconds later, Kami returned, and he wasn't alone.

"Goku!"

Goku laughed as he looked at Krillin. "Did ya miss me, guys?"

Krillin feverishly ran towards Goku, damn near pouncing him when he leapt at him. "Holy crap, you really are alive! Great to see you again, old buddy!"

Vegeta watched as Goku exchanged words with his friends. He could tell that Goku was suppressing his Ki, but what he was feeling was greatly improved from their last meeting from eleven months ago. "So I see you've gotten stronger, Kakarot."

Goku turned around and looked at his once-opponent, flashing a cocky smirk. "I can say the same to you, Vegeta." Goku looked back at his friends, asking, "So, what's up? Are you guys ready for the invasion?"

"That's what the three of us are here for," Gohan cut in. "Piccolo here told me and Vegeta about some room that will allow us to get a year's worth of training in one day."

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Goku asked, already familiar with the description. "That's a pretty good idea, actually. Maybe we could all use it to improve!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Vegeta scoffed. "Gohan and I will use the room."

Yamcha was the first one to protest. "That's not fair! When did _you_ get to decide who comes and goes, huh?"

"Unless you want the people of your planet to get killed by Frieza's men, then I suggest you shut the fuck up and listen to what I have to say," Vegeta growled, his voice dangerously calm. Yamcha breathed a drawn out sigh of defeat. "Now then, Frieza and his men will be arriving at any time within the next 24 or so hours. While Gohan and I train, you all will fight Frieza's soldiers. Even small fry like you can handle his unranked men."

Krillin and the earthlings nodded, although they were all a bit ticked at Vegeta's backhanded insult. Vegeta directed his eyes towards Goku. "And as for you, Kakarot – if you and the Namekian possess even a shred of competence, than you should have become strong enough to take on Frieza's elites, the Ginyu Force. You two will fight them."

Gohan cleared his throat and stepped forward so he was standing right next to Vegeta. His face was firm and commanding. "And now, I want you all to understand: you have to _kill_ these guys. I know you're all a bunch of pacifistic drones, but you will be fighting to the death. They will be more than willing to kill you. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Goku reluctantly conceded.

Vegeta smirked, once again proud of the "values" he had instilled into Gohan. "Also, under _no_ circumstances should you tell them where the two of us are. Stall as much as you can, and whatever you do, don't even go _near_ Frieza. He's _ours_."

Goku nodded. He could see just from the quick lapse of hatred that filled Vegeta and Gohan's eyes when that man was spoken of that arguing against that order was a lost cause. "Got it, Vegeta. We'll wait here until we start sensing their Ki approaching."

"Good," Gohan said with a nod. He turned to Vegeta. "Should we go in now?"

"Yes," Vegeta replied, marching forward and walking past the Z-Fighters. Gohan followed after him.

"Good luck, you guys," Goku called out.

Gohan stopped and looked over his shoulder at his father. "Likewise."

Once they were out of earshot, Yamcha indignantly folded his arms over his chest. "Who do those guys think they are, anyway, ordering us around like they're dictators or something?"

"Aw, don't say that, Yamcha," Goku said, in defense of his son. "They know these guys a heckuva lot better than any of us do, it's best to just go by their plans. Besides, I have a feeling that they'd kill us if we tried to fight Frieza."

"If you say so," Yamcha grumbled.

"So, Goku, what was your training in Other World like?" Krillin asked.

"Oh, it was great! I learned a lot of new things!" Goku enthusiastically replied.

Piccolo snorted in disgust. "I can't stomach this crap," he grumbled as he walked off to the side and sat in a cross-legged position. It was strange…he felt reinvigorated to see Goku back again. His lifelong rival had returned, giving him a purpose even after this invasion was finished.

Mr. Popo walked Gohan and Vegeta to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. "It's a good thing you two decided to use this now. I just restocked the food, so you'll have plenty to eat for the next year," he explained. He stopped when he reached two large, brown doors. "And here we are. Now, mind you, the conditions are a bit harsh and it's incredibly easy to get lost. Just heed that before you go in."

Vegeta grunted and watched as Mr. Popo pushed the doors open. He and Gohan walked in, looking behind as Mr. Popo closed the doors, shutting them off from the regular dimension.

As Gohan stepped further into the room, he could feel the gravity increase. The temperature was very humid, and the air was thin, making his breathing a bit more difficult. Not even some of the toughest planets he had been on were as harsh as this place. Gohan walked out of the small little room they were in, and the sight he saw made his jaw sink.

"It's all…white space…"

Nothingness. The room was nothing but a vast array of white, spanning for hundreds of thousands of miles. This was it, the place where he would spend an additional year of training in so he could defeat Frieza. Gohan smirked. This place was certainly intimidating – the conditions were harsh, the space was impossibly vast, and the hospitality was practically nonexistent.

And it was exactly what he needed.

* * *

><p>Frieza sat in his throne, looking out of the large glass window across from him at the dark, empty vacuum of space. He could almost see the planet his flagship was flying to. He recalled of the planet once Avo and Cado reported to him. It was a frontier planet, one not having any formidable opponents, and not even being particularly desirable to him. The lizard found it odd that Vegeta and Gohan had picked it to take refuge on.<p>

At least, he _did_ find it odd. After what Vegeta had told him, the planet most certainly had powerful warriors. Kakarot – that was unmistakably a Saiyan name. Frieza wanted to kick himself for completely forgetting about Gohan's father, deeming him insignificant. He now had yet _another_ monkey becoming a thorn in his side. It angered the galactic emperor to no end. It was because of this race, the same people he had exterminated the majority of, that he was having to step away from running his empire and swooping up profitable planets just to exterminate some vermin.

Frieza darkly chuckled as he watched several of his space pods zip past him. There was a reason why his voyage to Planet Earth had taken eleven months. He wanted to make sure his men were well-trained to destroy any and all fighters they ran into, quickly and efficiently. Frieza took a sip of his wine glass as a transmission came through on his scouter.

"Lord Frieza, this is Captain Ginyu. We should be entering the planet's atmosphere in just a couple of more hours," Ginyu reported.

"Excellent, Ginyu. Don't forget now, you are to _not_ kill Gohan and Vegeta. They are _mine_," Frieza informed, hatred simmering just at the thought of the two monkeys driving him to stepping in.

"Understood, sir," Captain Ginyu complied.

"Perfect. Good luck, Ginyu," Frieza said as he pressed the button to end the transmission. Frieza took another sip of his wine, annoyed but nonetheless looking forward to what was in store for him on Earth. It wasn't too far off now. Frieza sighed; in a twisted way, this whole ordeal saddened him. He couldn't care less about Gohan, but Vegeta was always his favorite pet to torment and chastise. Not to mention the fact that the he was admittedly incredibly efficient at his job, which was part of why Frieza favored him so much. Without the Saiyan prince, he was going to have to search the dregs of the universe for a new soldier to occupy his time with. But regardless, business was business, and it needed to be taken care of.

Those Saiyans were going to learn just who they were screwing with.


	18. When Disaster Strikes

Goku was hovering in the air, observing the cloudy, grey sky intently. It had been about 22 hours since Vegeta and Gohan entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He was floating about a hundred feet away from East City to ensure that the area was well protected. He could feel power levels approaching the planet – _thousands_ of them, in fact. Among them were five particularly powerful people – most likely the Ginyu Force. Vegeta definitely wasn't lying when he said there would be an army coming to this planet.

In order to make their work easier, the Z-Fighters decided that the best course of action was to take down as many pods as they could before they had a chance to even land. Piccolo wasn't too far away, and the earthlings were in different parts of the planet, ready to strike as well.

A solitary bead of sweat swam down Goku's head as he saw a space pod cut through the atmosphere. It was soon joined by dozens of more pods. Dozens then seemed to turn into _hundreds_. Wasting no time, Goku raised his palms and gathered a destructive amount of Ki to them. He fired off a barrage of blasts at the pods, watching as they burst into flames. He felt a few explosions hit the planet's surface, but those didn't matter; he would take care of them later. Goku finally relinquished the attack when only a few pods were left flying, sparing his Ki.

_Everything's good on my end. What about you, Piccolo?_ Goku asked, mentally reaching out to his nemesis-turned-ally.

_Same here; most of the pods stopped coming._

_Good. And man, do you feel those five big power levels? We're going to have a real fight on our hands!_

_Hn._

* * *

><p>Captain Ginyu floated away from the crater his space pod formed, irritably hissing through his teeth when he saw the hundreds of destroyed pods laid out before him. They didn't think these earthlings would be so prepared; no wonder they had managed to defeat Avo and Cado! Thankfully, the rest of his men, even Guldo, had survived the onslaught, as they were standing there, surveying the damage as well. Ginyu flew over to his comrades.<p>

"These bastards sure did do a number on some o' these guys, eh Cap'n?" Jeice remarked, looking around and sniffing the smoke filling the air.

"It's no big deal, most of those guys were small fry anyway," Ginyu dismissively replied. He folded his arms over his chest, giving his comrades a stern look. "Now then, you remember our mission?"

"Purge the cities and look for the two monkeys!" Burter enthusiastically replied.

Ginyu smirked widely. "Exactly! And just to make sure we all work efficiently, I've decided to give us all a little challenge. The first man to bring back a Saiyan will not only win a box of chocolate parfaits, but they will also get the complete series DVD box set of _Ultra Sentai!_"

Jeice and Burter fidgeted anxiously, wide grins forming onto their faces. The complete collection of _Ultra Sentai_? They'd be able to catch up on all of the episodes that they missed! The two allies looked over at each other, exchanging challenging smirks. The pressure was _on_ now.

"Now then, men, you know the deal!" Captain Ginyu announced, his voice firm. The Ginyu squad nodded and then formed into a straight line. Raising their arms, they marched to their loyal Captain, forming a circle around him while continuing to rumble their feet against the ground.

"What are we gonna do?" Ginyu inquired.

"CRUSH THE MONKEYS!" they all hollered in unison.

"And who are we?"

"THE GINYU FORCE!"

"What are we?"

"THE STRONGEST SQUAD IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"Damn right! Not only are we gonna squash these Saiyans like the bugs they are, but we're gonna do it with the style and pizazz that makes us the most feared band of warriors _ACROSS THE LAND!_" Ginyu proudly proclaimed.

Ginyu drew his arm forward, and the four other warriors did as well. "1-2-3-"

"GINYU!"

The four fighters blasted off into the sky in differing directions. Ginyu watched them with a triumphant smirk. That was _perfect_! He and the squad had spent hours on end getting the words, movements, and timing of the _Ginyu Special Huddle_ down, and it gave him great pride to know that his efforts paid off.

As Jeice rocketed to the nearest city, Burter flew next to him. Jeice turned to his longtime ally. "Workin' with me, are we?"

"How about we play a little game?" Burter offered with a grin. "Let's see who can kill the most humans! The loser has to wear a dress and serve the winner chocolate bars for a whole week!"

"You're on, Burter!" Jeice challenged. Jeice flew to the city with renewed vigor and wasted no time in blasting the closest building to smithereens, smirking in satisfaction as he watched the burst of smoke and flames, and the eruption of terrified hollers from the pathetic humans. Jeice pressed a button on his scouter, scanning the area. He laughed out loud at the power level readings he was getting. Everybody here was so _weak_!

The red skinned alien looked at Burter, who was watching the chaos. "I'd say that's ten points for me!"

"Oh yeah? Well how about _this!_" Burter yelled, raising both of his hands and firing a deadly energy blast at a considerably larger building. The impact of the blast caused the large structure to topple over, collapsing in the middle of the street and crushing hundreds of running earthlings.

"Oh yeah, that's _twenty _points for me!" Burter declared, victoriously folding his arms over his armor.

A vein in Jeice's temple throbbed. He wasn't going to let Burter show him up like that. And more importantly, he _wasn't_ going to wear a goddamn dress. Everybody in the whole army already made fun of him for his feminine looks, and he definitely wasn't going to give those bastards more fuel for their fire.

"That was good, but that ain't nothin' compared to somethin' like this!" Jeice raised both of his palms and gathered energy to them, releasing it in the form of hundreds of blasts that hit anything in sight – buildings, street lights, fire hydrants, street poles, humans; anything. Jeice smirked when he saw the chaos that resulted from his blasts. The city was now a mess of smoke, fire, and relentless streams of water from the fire hydrant.

Jeice turned to look at his partner, who appeared to be flustered. "Now how was _that?_"

Burter was about to open his mouth to reply, until a voice cut through the air:

"Enough!"

Jeice and Burter abruptly turned around, looking up at the sky to their new guest. Clad in an orange gi and a blue undershirt, and wild, spiky hair that stuck out like a palm tree, the man gazed down on them with a look of anger that was almost tranquil in nature.

Goku squeezed his fists tightly, trying to control his anger. He had felt two Ki signals billow up and then hundreds of small ones disappear all at once. That was all he needed to know before he flew to East City to take care of these two threats. The chaos they had triggered in such a short time disturbed the earthling Saiyan. The city was a complete mess.

"Well, look at this wanker! What're you here for, a fight?" Jeice demanded.

Goku flew down to where they were, a glare fixed on his face. "I'll say this once – get off this planet, _now_."

Jeice lifted his head back and laughed obnoxiously. "Who does this guy think he is, Burter?"

"Oh please, your power level's only 5000 and you think you can start barking orders at _us_?" Burter said, lowering his hand from his scouter after scanning Goku's power level. "I don't think this hick quite knows who we are, Jeice."

"I don't care who you are!" Goku aggressively cut in. "Just get all of your soldiers and get off of this planet," he warned. Goku knew that whatever peace offering he made would be futile, but there was no harm in presenting it anyway.

Jeice and Burter exchanged a glance before breaking into even louder fits of laughter. "Oh boy, this guy's a good one!" Burter hollered. He waved his hands dismissively at Goku. "Go on, small fry, unless you want to end up like the rest of these humans!"

Goku exhaled through his nose, figuring this was what their response would be. Goku lowered his arms. "Alright then, if you don't want to leave, then I'll just have to fight you two."

"Hold on, hold on, if ya want to get your ass kicked so badly, then you're gonna have to know who we are, first!" Jeice proclaimed. He broke into a rather absurd looking pose, lifting his arms up and kneeling down as if he were standing on the floor rather than floating in the air. "I am the Red Magma of the Ginyu Force – _JEICE!_"

Burter did a pose of his own, drawing one arm towards his abdomen and raising the other in the air. "And _I_ am the Blue Hurricane, _BURTER!_"

Goku's previous anger subsided into total confusion. He could only stare at the warriors blankly. They looked less like the fearsome warriors supposedly on the same level as Avo and Cado and more like guys coming straight from the TV screen of a Sentai show.

"Wait…what?"

"Oh goddammit, it's _always_ the outsiders that can never grasp the brilliance of the _Ginyu Special Poses_! You can't teach style anywhere!" Burter pouted.

"It looks like we're gonna have to teach this idiot a _lesson_ in pizazz," Jeice sneered. He put a lot of work into perfecting that pose and he wasn't going to have it torn down upon.

"Well, whatever," Goku said, shaking his head. "Let's get on with it."

Without warning, Jeice and Burter rocketed towards Goku. The Saiyan warrior made no effort to avoid their charge, surprising the two aliens. Nonetheless, they attacked, surrounding Goku with a flurry of punches. To their shock, Goku was evading their attacks easily, showing no visible signs of strain or effort. Jeice and Burter halted their assault, looking at Goku with astonishment.

Jeice angrily snarled before saying, "Okay, so this is a quick little wa-"

His words were violently cut off by a hard punch right to tip of his nose by Goku, whose fist moved so fast it didn't even register to Jeice's eyes. The white haired warrior let out a loud holler of pain while clutching at his now swelling nose.

Jeice removed his hand, letting his ugly bruise become visible to Goku. He fixed the warrior with a glare that spelled murder. "Why you son of a bitch, do you have _any _idea how much a rhinoplasty is gonna co-"

Goku cut him off _again_, landing yet another brutal punch to his nose. Burter could only rest his head in his hand in shame. "Geez, I know I'm not the toughest looking guy in the world, but you oughta be more attentive," Goku quipped.

Now beyond pissed, Jeice threateningly advanced towards Goku, but Burter placed his arm over his waist. "Hold on, let me handle this guy." Jeice hissed irritably before complying and floating away a few feet. Burter folded his arms, offering Goku a grin of challenge. "You think you're fast, buddy? You may be a quick rodent, but your speed can't match _me_. I'm the fastest warrior in the universe!"

"I don't think you're faster than Frie-"

"SHUT UP, JEICE!" Burter barked, turning his head to his comrade. Jeice growled but nonetheless remained silent. "So what do you think, earthling?" he goaded, turning his attention back to Goku.

A smirk spread across Goku's face. "Try me."

Burter vanished into thin air. Goku looked around, tracking the speedy blue warrior's movements. He was calm, not showing the tiniest bit of agitation as he looked for him. He was also looking at Jeice out of the corner of his eye, making sure he didn't try any funny business.

"Now I know what you're thinking," Burter's voice cut through the air, "'Where the hell is this guy?' Well, take a look above you, my friend."

Goku nonchalantly titled his head upwards, offering no surprise to seeing Burter hovering a few feet above him. "Yeah, I already knew you were up there."

"Don't be ridiculous, you couldn't see a damn thing," Burter scoffed. "There isn't a set of eyes across the entire galaxy that can capture me when I start moving!"

"Except for Frie-"

"SHUT THE _FUCK_ UP, JEICE!"

"It wasn't really _that_ impressive," Goku critiqued, rubbing under his nose with one finger while grinning from ear to ear. "All you did was just move around a lot to make it look like you disappeared. Nothing really all that special, I don't think."

Burter's face scrunched up in rage. The blue warrior was beside himself over how he was being mocked. "Why, you little…! _Nobody_ talks down on me like that!" Burter looked at Jeice and motioned his chin towards Goku, silently directing him to attack.

Jeice nodded and zipped right towards Goku as Burter did the same thing. Jeice smirked, as Goku was now surrounded and couldn't escape them no matter how fast he thought he was. Jeice thrust his fist forward, aiming a deadly punch at the back of Goku's head. His eyes bulged in shock when his fist connected the warrior's forearm instead. Just seconds later, Goku stopped Burter's attempt at an attack with his foot, sending Burter flying dozens of feet away through a glass window after nailing a kick. Goku then burst out his Ki, releasing a shockwave that blew Jeice back.

Burter pounded his fist against the floor of the building he landed into. After scraping away shards of glass, he looked out through the shattered window at Goku. "Crap, this guy really is fast!" Burter pressed the button on his scouter to activate a transmission. "Hey, Jeice, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear," Jeice whispered, keeping his voice low so that Goku wouldn't hear him. "What's up?"

"Hit that bastard with the Fire Crusher Ball," Burter replied. "He may be fast, but not even _he_ can dodge that."

"Alright," Jeice replied, floating towards Goku. The red skinned alien raised his arm above his head, amplifying his energy and focusing it to his palm. Goku stayed fixed in his spot, watching Burter as he hovered out of the building he was knocked into. The energy Jeice was gathering formed into a bright, red ball floating above his hand.

"TAKE THIS! FIRE CRUSHER BALL!"

Jeice fired the blast straight at Goku, who once again made no attempt to move out of the way. Rather, he lifted his arm and swatted the ball away like it was just a standard beach ball, sending it spiraling into the air. Jeice's jaw went slack, as the warrior was in disbelief over the display of strength Goku presented. He was supposed to only be at 5000, yet he was clearly better than that!

The blast flew at Burter, who hastily jumped out of the way to avoid getting hit. As soon as he halted his flight, he looked back at where Goku was, only to find that he wasn't there. "Wha…where the hell did he go?"

"Behind you, Burter!" Jeice shouted, pointing straight ahead.

Burter turned around, and there he was. Goku, floating across from him, arms folded above his chest. He was smirking at Burter, more than amused by the bewilderment etched across the scaly blue alien's face. The Saiyan chuckled humorously.

"Hi!"

"But…but how?" Burter stammered. "How could you move so quickly that even I couldn't see you? I'm supposed to be-"

"-the fastest warrior in the universe?" Goku mockingly completed. "Yeah, I'd say that you're only in second place for that title now."

"Just who in the hell are you, anyway?" Burter barked.

"My name is Son Goku and I'm a _Saiyan_, raised on this planet," Goku proudly declared.

Burter blinked in astonishment for a few seconds before replying, "A _Saiyan_?"

"Now I got it!" Jeice cut in, rushing to where Burter and Goku were. "You must be in cahoots with Li'l Veggie and the brat! Where the hell are they?"

"I dunno," Goku innocently replied, appearing oblivious even though he was lying through his teeth.

"LIAR!" Burter spat, growling venomously at Goku. "All of you monkeys are conspiring together! Tell us where they are or suffer the consequences!"

"Oh please, you're obviously weaker than me, yet you think you can start barking orders at _me_?" Goku asked, his words dripping with sarcasm as he mirrored Burter's earlier dismissive assessment of him.

"That's it! DIE!" Burter fired a blast at Goku, but the warrior vanished. The blast instead leveled the building he was standing behind.

"Aw, shit," Jeice bleakly murmured. "This guy is good. _Really _good. I think he's got us outmatched, Burter."

"I think it's about time I ended this," Goku announced from behind Jeice and Burter. The duo turned around to see him. "The rest of your army is causing trouble on this planet and I have no time to waste."

"Oh no, you're not gonna look down your nose at _us_," Burter snarled. "A Ginyu Force member is a lot of things – stylish, agonizingly brutal, and _devilishly_ charismatic being among them, but I'll tell you what we aren't – _fodder_! We're going to give you hell; all you've got is speed! Those sharp reflexes of yours are gonna run out eventually, and that's when we'll kill you."

Goku sighed, feigning disappointment. "If you say so." Goku squared his shoulders and raised his Ki, controlling it so that he wouldn't further the extent of the damage Jeice and Burter had already caused. The two warriors' scouters were calculating the power level the Saiyan was putting out, and the reading they were getting made their hearts go still.

"H-holy crap, Burter, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Jeice asked, his voice strained.

"I-it's…over 100,000!" Burter grimly announced.

Reading the looks of fear on Jeice and Burter's faces easily, Goku halted his ascent of power, figuring that was enough to take care of these guys. "This is your last chance – you can get off of this planet now, and I promise that I won't go after you."

Burter mustered up as much confidence as he could, though it was shrinking in the presence of the Saiyan. "Oh please, we can still take you if we gang up on you, right Jeice?"

"Uh…right," Jeice replied, his voice not having as much confidence as Burter would have liked.

"So be it," Goku resolved.

"C'mon, Jeice, let's get him! Our powers combined are still too much for him!" Burter said.

Jeice reluctantly nodded, regaining a little bit of his confidence. "Alright, Burter. Let's go!"

The two aliens charged at Goku and unleashed a barrage of attacks at him. However, to their dismay, Goku was still easily evading them. Their efforts were futile in Goku's eyes, as they were hopelessly outmatched no matter how much they seemed to think otherwise. As fun as it was to toy with them, Goku knew that he needed to take care of things as fast as he could. With great speed, Goku shot up into the sky and phased out of sight, leaving the two mutant warriors confused. Goku suddenly reappeared behind Jeice and delivered a fierce chop right to the back of his neck, knocking him out instantly. Jeice sunk to the ground while Burter looked on aghast.

"But ho-"

Goku cut him off when he delivered a debilitating elbow right to his stomach, yielding the same result as with Jeice. Goku watched as he joined his partner on the floor. The earth raised Saiyan still wasn't sure whether or not it was right to kill them. Leaving them knocked out _would_ be problematic once they woke up. And besides, who was he to talk? _Heh, I _am_ the same guy who killed all of those Red Ribbon guys without even batting an eye, _Goku joked to himself. He then fired off a Ki blast to the ground, one that reduced the two warriors to atoms.

Goku looked at the great amount of damage Jeice and Burter dealt to East City. He had to do whatever he could to prevent any other areas from suffering the same destruction. There were hundreds of warriors within the vicinity of the area. Goku exploded his Ki around him and flew off. He had a lot of work to do.

* * *

><p>Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu wasted no time in combatting the alien invaders, flying away from the hundreds upon hundreds of damaged spaceships to fight the ones that were in the midst of purging the nearby city. Krillin fired a powerful Ki blast that leveled a good number of armor-clad aliens before jumping down to the city streets. Shuffling through the numerous humans trying to escape, Krillin flew towards a red, reptile-like fighter and damn near tore his head off with a brutal kick that sent him straight into a street light, snapping it in half.<p>

Tien was taking out warriors one by one with brutal efficiency, ignoring some of the blood that spilled onto his white shirt. Two aliens tried to gang up on him, one wrapping his arm around his neck from behind him and the other flying straight to the three-eyed warrior, but Tien easily sent the man away with his boot and then slammed the back of his bald head against the one that was grabbing him. Swinging around, Tien fired a Ki blast that vaporized the incompetent soldier.

A purple warrior with a rather large head and yellow spots all over him fired a Ki blast headed straight at a group of defenseless girls. They flinched in fear as the blast approached them, but were suddenly swooped out of the way. They were all being grabbed by the collar by Yamcha, whose attention was focused on the alien warrior. Yamcha fired off a Ki blast that fired straight through the purple man's chest. He was dead before he even hit the floor.

Yamcha gently placed the girls down, who could only look at him with awe. "Holy crap, you're Yamcha from the Taitans!" one of them hollered.

"OHMIGOD, IT REALLY IS HIM!

"THANKS FOR SAVING US, YAMCHA!"

Yamcha's cheeks flushed red and he scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "Aw, it's nothing, ladies!"

A slew of animal-like aliens flew at Chiaotzu, but the diminutive warrior stood firm. He raised his arm and stuck out his index finger as if it were a gun, charging a bright, yellow light to the tip of it. It was violently sparking with electricity, waiting to be unleashed.

"DODON RAY!"

Chiaotzu fired a deadly Ki blast that incinerated all of the men. He fired another lethal blast at several more fighters. Six more men came flying at him, so Chiaotzu used his telekinetic powers to suspend them in mid-air. He then levitated them high up into the sky while giving Tien a mental cue. His three-eyed companion fired a Dodon ray right at the six fighters, burning them to dust.

Tien flew high up into the sky and scanned the city, or at least what was left of it. There were tons of aliens still willing to put up a fight, and toppling more of the buildings. Tien closed his eyes in concentration and drew his fingers together, forming his hands into a triangle. Tien gathered his Ki and amplified it to intense levels. His eyes burst open.

"TRI-BEAM, HA!"

Tien unleashed an enormous, bright energy blast that leveled everything in its path, reducing any warrior in its line of destruction to mere atoms. Its impact triggered a massive explosion, making Tien shield his eyes from the flood of smoke and light. When the smoke cleared and the light faded, the extent of Tien's mighty blast was unveiled. In place of the ground was a large, square shaped pit, one that was practically bottomless.

"Wow, good job, Tien!" Krillin cheered.

"All in a day's work," Tien remarked, his breath shaky. He was a tad winded from using so much power. Tien descended to the city, joining Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu. "I think this place is just about cleared. Let's go to the next city."

The other three human warriors nodded and flew into the sky. Tien soon followed. Hopefully, the remaining aliens would be just as easy to take care of as those guys.

* * *

><p>Recoome hovered above a vast city, watching as its civilians ran around to and fro. A grin filled with malice spread across the muscle-bound warrior's lips. Though he was on this planet for the purpose of annihilating the Saiyans, nobody said he couldn't have fun either. Recoome drew out his palm and released an explosive Ki blast at the city, effortlessly leveling the massive assortment of buildings and humans. The city was essentially wiped off of the map, as all that remained after the resulting explosion of his blast were smoke. The buildings? Gone. The people? Ashes. The city was now just a wasteland of dirt.<p>

"Shows those weaklings right!" Recoome chuckled. "That's always so fun!"

"Tell me, did you feel tough for being able to destroy a bunch of pathetic vermin like those humans?"

Recoome growled angrily and turned around, facing the direction of the voice. Across from him was Piccolo, clad in his cape and turban. "Oh really, and what do you know, green man?" he scoffed, snorting in disgust at Piccolo's presence.

"How about we find out?" Piccolo challenged, lowering his arms and giving Recoome an intense glare.

Recoome laughed boisterously, making Piccolo's pointy ears twitch. "Oh wow, that's a good one, bud. You, fight me? I'd like to see you try!"

"Silence, fool," Piccolo snarled. "If you're worth anything, then you'll fight me, _now_. I've already polished off a good amount of your army, and I could use some more blood to shed."

"Talk about the black guy calling the pot a ke – wait…uh…" Recoome scratched his chin, trying to figure out the analogy that was on the tip of his tongue. "Uh…talk about the kettle corn calling the pot butter…mmm, kettle corn…WAIT!"

"Just get on with it!" Piccolo demanded.

"Oh, I got it!" Recoome said, his eyes lighting up. "Talk about the Namekian calling the fungus green!"

"…what?"

"What I'm TRYING to say," Recoome started, growing agitated, "Is that it's kinda ironic how you're calling me out for bragging about taking out small fry. Those soldiers you killed are all trash bugs!"

"And in my eyes, you're trash just as they were," Piccolo snidely insulted.

Recoome let out a feral growl at Piccolo, angry at his words. "Oh yeah, well how about you show me, huh?"

"Gladly." Piccolo floated down to the dirt where the city once stood. Recoome followed him, almost making the ground shake when he landed. Piccolo observed the warrior as he stretched out his arms. The Namekian could tell that he was incredibly powerful, but wasn't sure on whether or not the power he was feeling was the full extent of it. He was in for a heavy battle, that much he was sure of.

Piccolo tossed off his cape and turban and squatted down, ready to fight. He unleashed a good amount of his Ki, both to get himself into the swing of things and to hopefully intimidate the burly warrior across from him. He was surrounded by an intense, blue aura as he pushed his Ki as high as he felt necessary.

Recoome settled his eyes to the bottom left corner of his scouter. "Whoa now, 85,000! You really are good!"

Piccolo smirked as rocks rumbled around him. "That's right, my friend. I would recommend for you to back down, but even then, I'd still destroy you."

Recoome haughtily laughed once again. "Hey, hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves! You still can't take me, even if you _are_ pretty strong! Judging from your power, you're probably working with Veggie and the brat, so you _must_ know where they are. Speak up, and I _might_ just let you live."

"Sorry, but that's neither here nor there. Your only concern is _me_."

"Well you've just signed off your death warrant, green man. Time to feel the wrath of…" Recoome let out a loud roar and then made a ridiculous pose, squatting down and lifting his massive arms above his head. "The ultimate muscle of the Ginyu Force…" Recoome finished off the showing by turning to the side and leaning forward, extending his right leg outward. "_RECOOME!"_

A bead of sweat trailed down the back of Piccolo's head, displaying his confusion. _What the hell is up with this idiot?_

Though his poses were filled with tons of flash, Recoome's attacks lacked any of the same telegraphy, as he dashed forward at Piccolo in a sudden swift motion. Piccolo only narrowly avoided the punch that came his way, one that was capable of leveling entire buildings. However, Piccolo remained firm, swinging his leg up and aiming a vicious kick straight at Recoome's temple. Recoome managed to duck out of the way, and then jumped up.

Piccolo and Recoome exchanged a staggering amount of attacks, moving at speeds even the most capable of warriors would have to concentrate intensely to keep up with. Piccolo was surprised by Recoome's speed, as for a man of his immense size he was keeping up with him with practically no effort.

Out of nowhere, Recoome screamed out, "RECOOME KICK," and then violently swung his leg up, brutally slamming his foot right into Piccolo's chin. The attack sent Piccolo back several yards, but the Namekian was quick to get back up to his feet. His jaw was throbbing, but he was nonetheless okay. Piccolo exhaled through his nose and then squeezed his fists tightly. He unleashed his Ki once more, pushing it higher in the face of Recoome's power.

"Whoa, now it's at _ninety_-five thousand!" Recoome remarked before Piccolo suddenly rushed at him and delivered a brutal punch right to his stomach. Piccolo lunged forward and brutally slammed his fist into Recoome's face, hitting him so hard his green scouter flew off. Wasting no time in continuing his assault, Piccolo raised his hand right in front of Recoome's face and fired off a nasty Ki blast to his face.

The blast sent Recoome rocketing backwards into an array of trees. The large structures exploded on impact, reducing into nothing but a pile of leaves and wood. Piccolo panted to regain some of his energy. He knew that it wasn't enough to kill him, but figured it did decent enough damage.

His eyes widened in fear, however, when Recoome emerged from the pile of leaves. Though his armor was destroyed and leaving him in his black bodysuit, he looked completely unscathed. In fact, he was _laughing_!

"Wow, not bad, green man, not bad at all," Recoome commended, dusting off his suit. "Now, let's continue this, shall we?"

Piccolo swallowed heavily in his throat, but tried to remain calm. He was just going to have to push harder, that was all. He raised his Ki and flew at Recoome. They were fighting toe-to-toe, throwing their best attacks at each other with varying results. Piccolo managed to knock Recoome into the air with a punch to the jaw and then outstretched his arms. He used them to grab hold of Recoome's broad shoulders and pull him towards him. Piccolo met the burly warrior halfway and smashed his skull into Recoome's, leaving a decent bruise. He then raised both of his fists over his head and slammed them down hard on Recoome's red-hair coated skull, knocking him to the ground.

Piccolo landed with him and waited for Recoome to get back up. Recoome kipped up to his feet and grinned at the Namekian, making his confidence shrink. _Dammit, he's just tanking everything I throw at him!_

Recoome flew at Piccolo and attempted to nail a vicious punch to his skull, but Piccolo leapt up to evade it and slammed his knee into the nose of the elite mutant. Just as he was about to follow up his attack, however, Recoome grabbed him by the ankle with just one arm and swung him around over his head like he was just a lasso. Recoome tossed Piccolo out of his grip, making the Namekian fly back with high velocity. Recoome caught up to Piccolo with frightening speed and slammed his elbow into his jaw. Piccolo hit the ground hard and skidded to a halt. Piccolo soon stood back up and spat out a wad of purple blood, his jaw hurting even worse now.

"Damn, green dude, you sure can take a lot of punishment!" Recoome snidely commended. "This is gonna be fun!"

"It won't be 'fun' when I'm choking the life out of you," Piccolo snorted, cracking his neck.

Piccolo jumped up to Recoome and attempted to kick him in the head, but Recoome narrowly evaded the attack and elbowed Piccolo hard in his ribs. Piccolo flew back several yards but fired a Ki blast at a faraway tree to stop his flight. The blast propelled him towards Recoome, so Piccolo extended his elbow out and drove it into Recoome's chest. However, Recoome stood firm where he was, practically unaffected by his attack. With a simple swipe of the arm, Recoome knocked Piccolo dozens of feet off to the side. Piccolo did his best to remain on his feet, but it was incredibly difficult.

Recoome charged towards him much more, but the Namekian managed to muster up a fierce kick that sent him high into the sky. Piccolo smirked maliciously, realizing the opportunity he now had. He was glad that he was constantly fighting new opponents, so that the technique he had in mind could remain fresh. Piccolo unleashed a shower of Ki blasts, swarming them around Recoome and suspending them in mid-air. Recoome wasn't familiar with the technique Piccolo was employing, and it showed with the confusion that flooded his eyes.

"Now you're surrounded!" Piccolo cackled. He folded his arms above his head. "Burn in hell!"

In one fell swoop, the blasts all came rocketing towards Recoome. He was shocked, but quickly regained his confidence. To Piccolo's utter horror, Recoome released a burst of Ki that nullified each and every one of the blasts, reducing them to nothing but light.

"B-but how…?" Piccolo stuttered.

Recoome let out his virulent laughter, making Piccolo's antennae twitch. "Wow, that was a pretty cool attack there. Sucks that I was just too strong for it, though."

Recoome phased out of sight and reappeared right in front of Piccolo, who stood still in fear as he looked at the murderous grin etched on Recoome's hideous face. His eyes were filled with an intense bloodlust that made the Namekian squirm. With a swift motion, Recoome brutally slammed his elbow atop Piccolo's head. Piccolo fell down so hard on the ground it exploded on impact and formed a small crater. Recoome laughed as he floated down and lifted the Namekian by his bald, green head. His eyes were glazed over, as he looked to be teetering on the edge of consciousness.

"Well, I guess it's time to say goodnight, green man," Recoome grimly declared. However, Piccolo's eyes suddenly snapped open and from his antennae came a beam of electricity. The beam hit Recoome and jolted, making the warrior convulse violently as the electricity surrounded him. Piccolo used his Ki to create a shockwave that blew Recoome back, and then raised his index and middle finger to his head. Piccolo focused his Ki and amplified it to new levels as electric sparks lit up around his head. The Namekian drew his glowing, shaking hand outward.

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

The spiraling, yellow beam of light zipped at Recoome. The blast detonated once it reached Recoome, the explosion temporarily blinding Piccolo with its light. As the flash faded away, Piccolo squinted to try and focus his vision. When he saw what stood behind a traveling cloud of smoke, his heart dropped down to the pits of his stomach.

"Y-you're kidding me…"

Recoome stood there, crouching and with both of his hands extended outwardly. In the middle of his right hand was a hole in the middle of his white glove, exposing his searing flesh. Recoome pulled his hands back and observed them. "Man, that one could've got me."

"Dammit, what now…?" Piccolo bleakly asked himself. Recoome was just far too durable for him to handle.

"You're a crafty devil, you know that?" Recoome remarked. "But this is gonna have to end." Recoome jumped to the side and stood in an odd crouching position. "PREPARE TO DIE!" He then brought one arm to his chest and raised the other one above his head. "Time for Recoome's finishing move!"

Piccolo squeezed his fists tightly prepared for any attack that Recoome would send his way. The muscle-bound warrior stood in a squatting position and took a deep breath, saying, "Recoome…

"ERASER GUN!"

From the mutant's mouth came a massive blast of light that was rocketing straight at Piccolo. Piccolo could only stand in horror. He wanted to move, but his legs just wouldn't cooperate. There was no way he could survive an attack like that.

However, it never even hit, as another blast from Piccolo's right collided with Recoome's attack, the impact being enough to cancel both waves out. Piccolo was surprised, but at the same time relieved that the attack never hit. He looked off to the side to see the source of the attack that saved his life and subsequently rolled his eyes as a jest.

"What are you doing here, Goku?"

Goku lowered his arms and laughed lightheartedly, flying over to Piccolo. "Well, I was finishing off a bunch of soldiers and sensed you were in a pinch, so I decided to come over her and give you a hand. Besides, I never really returned the favor from when you saved me against Vegeta."

"I don't care about favors, much less from you, Goku," Piccolo snorted, hiding his relief.

"Who's the new guy?" Recoome sneered, growing in anger. _Nobody_ did that to his Eraser Gun and lived to tell about it.

"Son Goku's the name!" Goku greeted as if he weren't facing a deadly new enemy.

"If you're here to make a shitty attempt at killing me, then get lost. I was having fun with ol' green horn here and you're ruining it. I'll get to you later, so be patient," Recoome said.

"Confident are we?" Goku remarked, his voice filled with challenge.

Recoome spat out a wad of blood at the ground and planted his hands on his waist. "Oh boy, looks like I've got another challenger. Maybe I'll take care of palm tree-head before green horn!"

"'Palm tree-head?' That sure is the pot calling the kettle black", Goku snickered.

"OH! THAT'S IT! THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY BEFORE!" Recoome exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Don't ask," Piccolo commented.

"Alright then, new guy, bring it on! I'll squash you like the bug you are!" Recoome threatened.

"How about you go first?" Goku offered, making Piccolo's brows furrow with intrigue. Goku seemed so confident, as if he didn't know of how fearsome Recoome was. He hadn't bothered to ask Goku how much stronger he had gotten in his Other World training or whatever it was. Perhaps he was going to find out now?

"Alright then, buddy! Here I come!"

Recoome leapt at Goku, preparing for a brutal kick that would surely tear the Saiyan warrior's head off. However, Goku stood firm, and yelled out a strange word:

"KAIO-KEN!"

An intense, blood-red aura suddenly burst around Goku, startling Piccolo and brushing him back a couple of feet. The Namekian almost fell entirely when he felt the sudden rush of Ki hit Goku. It was _enormous!_ Goku zipped forward and then leveled Recoome with an absolutely brutal kick to the face that sent the massive fighter flying away hundreds of feet.

Goku took a deep breath as the aura around him subsided. Piccolo slowly walked towards Goku, absolutely floored by the tremendous display of power. "Goku…what in the hell did you just…?"

"The Kaio-ken," Goku answered. "It's a technique I learned from King Kai up in Other World. It amplifies the user's speed, power, and senses to _crazy_ levels! I can only use it in short bursts, though, because of the strain on my body."

"Astounding," Piccolo breathlessly muttered.

After a few minutes, Recoome returned. He was fuming; Goku's kick was _excruciating_! "You stupid son of a bitch! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"DID SOMEBODY SAY, _'KILL?'_"

All eyes turned to the latest new arrival. With lavender, veiny skin, black armor, and two shiny black horns protruding from his head, Captain Ginyu stood tall. He had a smirk on his face as he watched Goku, Piccolo, and Recoome's stand-off. Recoome began laughing. "Oh boy, you bastards are done for now."

"And just who are _you_?" Goku inquired.

"Oh, I'm the baddest man of them all!" Ginyu bragged. "A terror across the universe, a man who's name makes aliens across the galaxy quiver in fear! They say that sometimes at night, the boogeyman checks under his bed to make sure I'm not there. When I flush the toilet, the entire planet I'm on at the time gets flushed with it! They say my tears are enough to cure the deadliest diseases, but such a theory is untested because I have never cried once in my life! Ghosts sit around a campfire and tell stories about _me_!

"I do not breathe, for such a feat is merely the air running for safety from my presence! I put the 'laughter' in manslaughter! I do not eat, nutrients are simply smart enough to enter me! How many push-ups can I do? ALL of them! There is no rain dance required when I'm around – I simply stare into the clouds and drive them to tears! Mistakes learn from _ME! _I am the magnificent, unholy, and positively terrifying…" Ginyu crossed one arm over his chest, triumphantly raised the other into the sky, and lifted his knee.

**"CAPTAIN GINYU!"**

Recoome sniffled, trying to fight back the tears of joy streaming from his eyes but doing a poor job of it. "That was BRILLIANT_, _Captain!"

Captain Ginyu arrogantly smirked, but that gave way to horror when he saw Goku poorly mirroring his pose. "What the hell are you doing? You're defiling the _Ginyu Special Pose!_"

"I don't really see the big deal, though," Goku blankly replied.

"Goddammit, you're doing it wrong! You're supposed to have the other knee lif- OH, FORGET IT!" Captain Ginyu said, straightening his posture as he lowered his arms and legs. "Why aren't you quivering in fear? I've spent _years_ perfecting that monologue, my friend!"

"That's all well and good, but I'm here for a fight, not to perform a play," Goku remarked, standing straight again.

"Alright, as you wish. I saw what you did to Recoome, but that won't be happening with _me_!" Captain Ginyu proclaimed with a smirk, pointing his thumb at his chest, which had it not been for his armor would have surely made Goku shake in his boots from how damn _chiseled_ it was. "I also find it interesting that a Namekian is all the way on this planet. I hear that their planet has seven mystical items capable of granting wishes, but it's likely folklore. Though I suspect Lord Frieza _would_ be interested in such a thing."

"That's nothing for you to worry about! Let's fight, Ginyu!" Goku challenged.

Captain Ginyu's eyes filled with anger. "Why, you…! A peasant such as yourself is to always address me as _Captain_!"

"If you insist, _Captain_," Goku relented, with a bit of mockery behind that word Ginyu insisted on being addressed with.

Captain Ginyu crouched into a fighting stance and charged at Goku. He attempted to slam his elbow into Goku's face, but the Saiyan raised his forearms to absorb the impact. The two fighters jumped into the sky and met in several mid-air clashes. The shockwaves alone were enough to make Recoome and Piccolo stagger back. Ginyu managed to land a kick right to Goku's sternum that sent him spiraling to the ground. However, Goku halted his descent just before landing and phased out of sight.

He reappeared right behind Ginyu, though the Captain swung his elbow at him. Goku narrowly avoided it but fell victim to a quick flurry of punches and kicks delivered by Ginyu when he turned around. Goku managed to recover and blocked the last round of attacks, however. He caught both of his fists and then hauled the purple, veiny warrior closer to him, nailing a knee right to his jaw. Goku threw a powerful punch, but was only met with air.

Right from above him, Ginyu fired a bright, blue Ki blast, which Goku couldn't avoid. The blast threw Goku into the dirt. The Saiyan soon arose and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Damn, this guy's good."

"I must say, you've done a pretty good job! Frieza spoke of another Saiyan being on this planet, and I don't doubt that you're him! You probably didn't know this, but I know of that technique your comrades employed when they escaped me. That's right: I too can control my power level!" Captain Ginyu announced.

Goku's eyes narrowed in focus. "I see. So this is the part where you reveal your true power, right?"

"Correct! You're smarter than you look, Saiyan!"

Captain Ginyu spread his arms and clenched his fists. Letting out a loud yell, Ginyu pushed his power level to its greatest heights, making the planet shake in response to the incredible amount of raw energy he was releasing. The Saiyan warrior may have been strong, but he would be no match for his new and improved full power.

Goku was in awe at Ginyu's power, but remained confident. His power was certainly fearsome, but nothing he couldn't handle. Goku watched as the rumbling in the planet ceased, signifying that Ginyu was done releasing his power. The Captain folded his arms over his chest, a wide grin present on his face.

"Prepare to meet your doom, courtesy of the terrifying, bone-chilling leader of the strongest band of fighters in the universe, CAPTAIN GINYU!"

Captain Ginyu barreled down at Goku, but the Saiyan stood still. After momentarily flashing a smirk, Goku shouted, "KAIO-KEN, TIMES THREE!"

Goku burst into the sky and met Captain Ginyu's attack head-on, nailing him with a near-crippling punch to the jaw. Captain Ginyu hit the ground hard, making it crack beneath him. He could only lay there in disbelief, as he had never been rocked by a blow so _powerful_ before.

The flame-like aura around Goku subsided, as his body relaxed. "Man, I didn't think I'd hit you _that_ hard! Sorry about that!"

Captain Ginyu slowly arose back to his feet, realizing he was at a sandstill. He resolved that he would take one last course of action before relying on _that_ technique. Ginyu took a glance at Recoome, silently giving him orders. Recoome responded with a nod.

Ginyu turned his attention back to Goku. "I see now, you certainly are strong! But I'll have you know that my power can go even _higher _than what I'm letting on!" It was a lie, but that little tidbit was immaterial as far as his plan was concerned.

"Oh, is that so?" Goku asked, though he wasn't necessarily buying into his words. "Show me, then!"

Goku was so caught up in his fight with Ginyu that he didn't even notice Recoome phase in right behind him, the only thing alerting his presence being Piccolo shouting, "LOOK OUT, GOKU!" Goku didn't even have enough time to turn around before Recoome viciously slammed his massive knee into Goku's spine. A sharp pain jolted throughout Goku's body and forced him to his knees. Recoome placed both of his huge arms beneath Goku's arm pits and hooked him in an iron tight hold.

"GET HIM, CAPTAIN!"

Ginyu nodded and smirked. "Even a Saiyan is helpless with his back turned!" The Captain lifted his arm, which began glowing with a deadly, purple Ki waving around it like a flame. "This is the end, Saiyan! MILKY CANNON!"

Captain Ginyu fired a deadly, purple Ki wave at Goku. The earth raised Saiyan tried to escape Recoome's grip, but that blow to his spine made it almost impossible for him to move his limbs properly. The blast headed his way was strong enough to kill him, that was for sure. Goku was contemplating using Kaio-ken, but he wasn't sure of whether or not it would completely destroy his body in the state it currently was in.

Piccolo watched as the blast made its approach towards Goku, though it seemed to be moving in slow motion in his eyes. The Namekian was very aware of the power within the wave, as it would surely kill Goku. But what did he care, right? He was Piccolo, the Demon King. He had seen Goku die once before, by his own hand no less, so he should have been desensitized to seeing it happen again. However…this time, there'd be no wishing him back. What would that leave for Piccolo? The man who he had loathed, envied, and _respected_ would be gone forever. His own existence would be pointless. The Namekian had spent so many years trying to surpass Goku, and if his efforts were blown now, he wouldn't really have any reason to live. He didn't care about ruling the world anymore.

Piccolo realized what he was going to need to do.

Goku could only bleakly watch as the bright light came closer. He should have seen Recoome coming, or else he wouldn't be in this mess. The Saiyan warrior fiercely shut his eyes, bracing himself for the impact of the so-called Milky Cannon.

Except it never came.

The sound of an explosion and a familiar, rough scream was enough to snap Goku's eyes wide-open. His jaw sank to the ground when he saw the sight before him. Taking the blast in his place was none other than _Piccolo_!

"PICCOLO, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

A blinding flash of light interrupted Goku's shock. Goku shielded his eyes from the sight, and he was anxiously waiting for it to fade away. He could hardly even process what he had just witnessed. When Goku could feel the glimmer of light going away, he opened his eyes almost immediately.

"Piccolo…?"

There he was still standing, but now a mere shell of what he was before. His clothes were torn up, and his body was a mess of bruises and purple blood that seemed to be running all over the place. "G-Goku, you dumb bastard…always getting yourself…in tro-"

Piccolo lost his strength to stand, sinking to the floor. Captain Ginyu snorted in anger as Recoome loosened his grip around Goku. Goku rushed at Piccolo's fallen body as fast as his body would currently allow. "P-Piccolo…!"

The Namekian gave a weak, bitter laugh. "I have to say…this is the most ironic twist of fate…I've ever seen…"

"But why, Piccolo?" Goku gasped, his heart pounding in his chest as felt Piccolo's Ki dwindling sharply. "You didn't have to-"

"Oh, shut up the hell up with your s-stupid, selfless, bullshit," Piccolo weakly threatened, with a smirk on his face. "How pathetic, huh…? I-I was born for the sole p-purpose of killing you…yet here I am, the damn Demon King, dying to s-save your stupid ass…"

"Save your strength, Piccolo," Goku said, though he knew there was no point.

At a lookout high in the heavens, Kami stood, panting heavily as the image of him faded in and out. Mr. Popo rushed to his side, knowing what was about to occur. "I-It's over…! At long last, my time to pass has come…!"

Kami dropped his wooden staff, and flashed a weak smile. "Piccolo has surpassed me…I can die happy…"

Piccolo snickered. "I-I gotta say…I hated you so much…but you were a worthy opponent, Son Goku. Y-you made me…push myself to my highest limits, and I'm glad for that…! S-so long, Son…Goku…"

Piccolo's head sank to the side, his eyes falling shut. Goku's breath shortened when he felt Piccolo's Ki completely diminish.

At the Lookout, Kami vanished into thin air.

"Piccolo…" Goku muttered. His journey with the fallen Namekian had been an interesting one. It all started that one day, after the World Martial Arts Tournament, when he found Krillin dead. From there, it had exploded into a rivalry that would dominate a significant portion of his life. Piccolo was his rival; when he fell into a state of depression over Gohan's loss, it was _him_ that brought him back into the spirit of what he loved the most. Goku had grown to see Piccolo not as an _enemy_, but an opponent he respected. And now, his greatest rival was gone forever. Goku's head sank, his bangs obscuring his eyes.

Recoome took this as his cue. He jumped up behind Goku and aimed a deadly kick that would tear his head clean off. However, all he met was Goku's forearm. The Saiyan had blocked Recoome almost unconsciously, his arm moving up like a machine as he remained fixed in a slumped, standing position.

A golden aura suddenly exploded around Goku, horrifying both Ginyu and Recoome. Letting out an unearthly scream, Goku lifted his head back up, unveiling his hateful, murderous eyes. His pupils were gone, only adding to the terrifying gaze. His hair was standing on end, now a deep shade of burgundy rather than black.

Goku spun around and before Recoome could even defend himself, Goku landed a vicious kick right to his neck, breaking it and killing the man instantly. Ginyu was frozen, stricken with terror over the outrageous seven-figure number his scouter was picking up. In a sudden flash, Goku was right in front of him. The enraged Saiyan landed a brutal punch right to Ginyu's jaw, knocking him back hundreds of feet. Goku caught up to him almost inhumanly fast and brutally slammed his fists down on Ginyu's cranium. Ginyu hit the ground and staggered back up to his feet, but before he was even standing upright, Goku dropkicked him right in his abdomen.

Ginyu fell down again, and when he arose, he already knew what he had to do. Ginyu spread his arms out wide and opened his mouth, yelling "CHANGE-"

He never got the second word out, however, as Goku phased in right in front of him and drove his fist right into the stomach padding of his armor. Violet colored blood spilled down Goku's arm, which was almost elbow-deep into Ginyu's stomach. Ginyu doubled over, hacking out a mouthful of blood. The next instant, Goku fired a violent Ki blast that shot straight out of Ginyu's back and sent him flying back and crashing into the ground. He was dead before he even landed.

Goku stood there, his arm still raised. The restless, golden aura surrounded him soon vanished, and his hair sank back to its normal level. Goku was standing there, completely astonished by what had just occurred. He looked down at his arm, which was soaked in purple blood that ran down to his elbow. The Saiyan had no clue where that power had come from. All he knew was that it was _tremendous_.

"Whoa."

* * *

><p>At Kami's lookout, Mr. Popo, though distraught at the loss of Kami, was able to feel two enormous Ki signals coming from far back in the palace. Mr. Popo turned on his heel and rushed into the palace, heading in the direction of the Ki signatures. He reached the room he was suspecting, seeing the brown doors of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber slowly open.<p>

From it came Gohan and Vegeta. They looked like they had been in a brutal war, their faces covered in scratches and the armor they had been wearing being wracked with cracks, scratches, and red stains. Their time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had been well spent, that was for sure. They fought each other every day, just as they had done before in Bulma's gravity chamber. However, without Senzu beans or the Capsule Corporation medical equipment, the conditions were much more debilitating than before. The Saiyans would fight until they gave into raw exhaustion, where they would be passed out for days on end at times.

However, that was exactly what they needed. Due to how slower they were to heal, and the piling up of injuries, when they finally did recover their powers grew to unforeseen heights. It was nothing short of amazing to Gohan and Vegeta. They had zipped past Frieza and then some.

Mr. Pop watched as the Saiyans looked at him with disinterest. Gohan had grown, now matching Vegeta evenly in height. His spiky hair was even longer and messier than before, which Popo didn't think was possible. "It's good to see you two are out. Things have gotten hectic down on Earth."

"What's happened?" Gohan asked, his tone disinterested.

"Piccolo has unfortunately died, and so has Kami," Mr. Popo bleakly reported.

"So…?"

"Well, Gohan, the Dragon Balls no longer work…they're lost forever."

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "As if that matters. We don't need the Dragon Balls anymore. Frieza is nothing but small fry to us as we are now."

"Are you serious…?" Mr. Popo asked in disbelief.

"Isn't it obvious?" Vegeta arrogantly asked, his lips curling into a smirk. "We will destroy him."

"Well, anyway, Bulma came by earlier. She left over a bag of Senzu Beans and a new set of armor for you two," Mr. Popo explained, walking off to a white shelf in the corner and retrieving the box and brown bag he was looking for. He presented them both to Vegeta.

"Hn."

Vegeta popped open the suitcase and grabbed his armor set, tossing the gloves, plate, boots, and suit to the floor. Gohan grabbed the box and did the same thing. They removed their battle-worn garments and quickly put on the new sets. After that, they dug in the bag of Senzu beans and retrieved two of three beans.

Once they ate the beans, Gohan and Vegeta exhaled as they felt their injuries and wounds leave them. Their power rose as their energy replenished, startling Mr. Popo as he felt their Ki. Gohan and Vegeta arrogantly smirked as they walked away from the room and the palace.

The two Saiyans walked out until they were standing at the edge of the lookout. This was _it_. The time to kill Frieza was at last at hand. Unlike before, they were completely sure of their power. Though they had no scouters, it was incredibly obvious they were both towering above that magic number of 530,000. Gohan and Vegeta glanced at each other, their faces both having similar looking smirks. They blasted away from the lookout, itching to reach their target.

Frieza was about to be in for an extremely rude awakening.


	19. The Transformation

Frieza arose from the entrance of his flagship, still seated in his black floating chair. He observed the new planet, Earth. To Frieza's chagrin, they had landed in a rocky wasteland, rather than one of the cities that were surely rocked by the chaos his men were unleashing. This was definitely a lively planet, with a beautiful blue sky and nice, rocky mountains. Perhaps once he was done with this whole mess, he would sell the planet for a nifty price.

Zarbon soon followed Frieza out of the ship, with a bleak expression on his face that disconcerted Frieza. "My Lord, I have been trying to establish a connection with Jeice and Burter, but I can't connect with their scouters at all. I've tried communicating with Recoome and Ginyu as well, but have gotten no responses. Only Guldo has come in."

"What?" Frieza incredulously asked, not even wanting to come to the conclusion he was pondering.

Zarbon took a deep breath, trying to choose his words carefully. "S-sir…there is a good chance, that they are dead…!"

"Not possible."

Zarbon blinked, thinking his master was going insane. "But, sir-"

"SILENCE!" Frieza snapped. His mind was racing in a million different directions. "These monkeys are more trouble than they're fucking worth." Frieza looked over his shoulder at his right hand man. "Zarbon, I want _you_ to try and find the Saiyans. Bring them _all_ to me, including this Kakarot fellow."

"But what if-"

Frieza violently slammed his tail against the ground, leaving a decent crack in the rocky surface. He didn't need to say a single thing to let Zarbon know the urgency of the situation, not to mention what could be in store for him if he argued further. The green skinned warrior bowed his head in compliance. "Y-yes, sir."

Frieza turned around, watching some of his second-rank soldiers exit the ship. He turned his attention to the strongest of them all. "Arepa, you are to search for the Saiyans as well. Use your scouter to pinpoint their locations. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the teenaged female warrior replied. She was apprehensive about the whole thing, because even though she had trained harder than she ever did before, she wasn't quite sure she could take guys capable of killing elites. Not to mention Gohan – she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to make him meet his death.

"Cui, you will search for them as well. Got it?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza," Cui replied, trying to stifle his grin. He was so excited to finally get the opportunity to rough Vegeta up and watch Frieza as he tortured him to death.

Frieza gave his subordinates a stern look, his eyes filled with impatience and urgency. "I am giving you all a two hour deadline to get the jobs done. If you fail, then your lives will come into question. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Arepa tersely replied.

"Now get a move on," Frieza ordered. The three soldiers nodded and took off into the sky. Frieza grunted in irritation and drummed his fingers against the edge of his chair. After hearing of how Gohan and Vegeta escaped from Captain Ginyu over a year ago, Frieza had decided to teach himself how to suppress his power level, and was putting it to use now. Though part of him wanted to see the Saiyans impudently come right to him and challenge him directly, only to be crushed, he must preferred to see them dragged to him against their will. It would make the torture _so_ much more fun.

Zarbon raised his hand to his scouter and pressed the button to scan for any nearby power levels. His scouter detected one particularly large one several miles away, though Zarbon wasn't sure whether it was one of the Saiyans or not. The power level he was detecting was at 30,000, though given what he had learned from Frieza, there was a good chance that was just a suppressed level.

Zarbon's eyes widened when the number suddenly disappeared. "What the hell?" he asked himself. "Dammit, they must be hiding their power levels again!"

Zarbon irritably hissed through his teeth. It looked like he was going to have to search for the Saiyans the old fashioned way. Zarbon accelerated his speed of flight, heading to the nearby city. He flew right through large billboard that read, "Orange Star City." Zarbon looked at the array of buildings and sadistically smirked. It was going to be fun watching the screams of terror as he scoped the place out for a Saiyan.

Zarbon took a deep breath before yelling, "Show yourself, Saiyan! Or else I'll tear this whole city down to flush you out!" This caught the attention of the thousands of bystanders down below.

Zarbon waited for a minute. When there was no response, Zarbon snickered. "As you wish! Let the fun begin…"

The green warrior gathered a lethal amount of energy and released it in the form of dozens of blasts. The small orbs of light leveled every building and street light in their path, toppling them over onto the hundreds of humans who were now screaming and running for their lives. He suspected that neither of the Saiyans would care for the planet's population, but figured he would run into them eventually in the process of killing the people off. Zarbon flew down into the middle of the road, allowing a car to swerve in a desperate attempt to avoid colliding with him and crash into a brick wall, exploding on impact.

The humans inhabiting the streets were staring at Zarbon, their eyes filled with the similar looks of terror. Zarbon studiously looked over every single one of them, debating to himself whether or not he should kill them all one by one or just dispose of them in one fell swoop. Deciding on the latter, Zarbon raised his palm and fired a huge wave of energy that incinerated each and every last one of the humans, in lieu of their attempts to escape. Zarbon cackled maniacally; one thing that never changed no matter the planet was the smell of burning flesh.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Zarbon snorted in annoyance and turned around to face his new guest. It was a rather large, muscular man, clad in white pants and a brown gi. His hair was large and puffy, with a matching large mustache. His eyes were filled with a fire directed at Zarbon, which made the elegant alien smirk. Clung protectively to his uniform was a girl, one who looked to be around the same age as Arepa. Her hair was black, with pigtails. Unlike the large man, the girl was very scared, quivering as she stood behind him.

"Do you care to challenge me, vermin?" Zarbon smoothly inquired.

"What does it look like, bucko? I'm not gonna let you mess with _my_ people and get away with it!" the man shouted, his voice loud and firm.

"I would recommend you back down now, human. I wouldn't want your blood getting on my armor," Zarbon snidely warned.

The muscular human's brows furrowed, showing his agitation. "Oh please, I could snap a skinny little punk like you like the twig that you are. You may have been able to cause this city damage with your trickery and light shows, but it won't work on _me_!"

"Dad, don't…" the girl urged, her voice shaky.

The man turned to his daughter. "Don't worry, just watch your pops go to work on this fool!"

Zarbon ran his scouter and laughed boisterously at the number that came up. "Don't be ridiculous! Your power level is only six! _SIX! _You couldn't even defeat me in my sleep!"

"Power level, schmower level, I'm gonna squash you like the bug you are!" the earth fighter indignantly exclaimed, taking a menacing step forward. "Let's do this, punk!"

"If you insist," Zarbon chuckled. He cocked his head back and folded his arms over his chest, not even attempting to show the earthling any respect. This only served to make the man angrier. He squatted into a fighting stance and then made a mad dash at Zarbon. He threw a flurry of punches at him, which Zarbon dodge without even an inkling of effort. He didn't even bother to lower his arms. The earthling tried to mix things up with kicks, but was met with the same results as before.

Without warning, Zarbon hit the afro-clad warrior with a punch that, while utterly pathetic by his standards, was vicious for the human, sending him flying into the building behind him. The burly man flew straight through the wall, falling beneath a pile of rubble.

"DAD, NO!" the teenaged girl shrieked in horror. She turned on her heel and ran to the building to see if her father was even alive, but was suddenly yanked by one of her pigtails and roughly hauled back. Zarbon turned her around and looked down on her with a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine. She desperately tried to squirm out of his iron tight grip, but it was no use. She wanted to cry – without her father to defend her, what was she going to do now? She knew a bit about martial arts, but if her world champion dad was taken out with one punch, what did that say about her?

"Well then, I guess it's just you and me," Zarbon darkly remarked. "Perhaps I'll have some _fun_ with you before I kill you." The smirk on his face left little to the imagination as to what he meant by fun. Now completely horrified, the girl screamed for futilely screamed for help, even though she knew that was ridiculous.

Much to her shock, it actually came. The grip Zarbon had on her hair was broken when a new figure came in and kicked Zarbon right in the head, knocking him into a building a few feet away. The large structure exploded into thousands of pieces when Zarbon collided with it. The teenaged girl looked at her new savior with astonishment. He had long, spiky hair and was wearing the same armor as Zarbon, but with an all-black color palette and green straps over his shoulders.

Gohan took one glance at the awe-struck girl before turning his attention to Zarbon. He was keeping his Ki hidden because even though he knew he could wipe out Zarbon with his mere fingertip, he preferred to sneak up on him instead just because it was more fun that way. When he and Vegeta felt several power levels land on Earth, they decided to split up and handle them. Gohan wanted to take Zarbon for himself, to make him pay for everything he had dealt him once and for all.

"Get up, Zarbon! You may be trash, but even _that_ couldn't have killed you!" Gohan goaded.

Zarbon slowly arose from the rubble, brushing the pile of rocks off of him and gingerly dusting off his armor. He was fuming, more than enraged at Gohan's sneak attack. "Why, you simian trash! Sneak up on me, will you?"

"What's wrong, Zarbon? A tad _perturbed_?" Gohan asked, a mischievous grin spreading on his face.

"Don't provoke me, you little brat! I'll kill you where you stand!" Zarbon threatened.

"Don't make me laugh," Gohan quipped. "I can kill you with a simple blast, _right now_. But you've caused me far too much suffering over the years to keep me from giving you anything other than a gruesome death."

"Do you really think so, Gohan? You may have been my superior a year ago when you killed Dodoria, but I have trained intensively since then. You're no match for me as I am now," Zarbon sneered.

"Frieza told us of this invasion eleven months in advanced. Do you really think I haven't been training just as hard, Zarbon?"

"That may be true, but you have no idea of my _true_ form," Zarbon informed, his lips curling into a smirk. "You may be able to go toe to toe with me now, but when I transform, you're done for."

"Transform? What are you talking about?" Gohan asked curiously.

"You see, lying deep within me is my _true_ power. However, bringing it out requires me to transform into a much hideous figure. As someone who prefers beauty, I would rather not resort to using it, unlike you Saiyans and how quick you are to using those reprehensible giant apes," Zarbon explained, making Gohan roll his eyes in disgust over the alien's flamboyance. "However, in certain situations, my life comes before my looks."

"Well then get on with it, pretty boy," Gohan chided. "Show me your supposed true power."

"As you wish." Zarbon removed his scouter before squeezing his fists tightly, focusing his inner power. In a sudden motion, he exploded in size, his entire body expanding. His face morphed into a rather ugly, amphibian-like appearance, the exact opposite of the face Gohan had become accustomed to. Zarbon was no longer the slender, smug green alien he was known as, now a large, hulking figure with scaly skin.

"Prepare to die, brat!" Zarbon yelled, his voice now deep and gravelly rather than smooth.

"I have to admit, if this were a year ago, I _might_ have been scared," Gohan backhandedly complimented. "But now? You're still not worth my time. All you've done is ensured your corpse will look even more disgusting when I'm through with you."

"Enough with your delusional talk! I'm giving you one chance to surrender; submit yourself to Lord Frieza _now_, or else I will beat you beyond recognition," Zarbon growled.

"Sorry, no surrendering from me, buddy," Gohan replied, his cool-headed confidence not faltering in the slightest. "I can destroy both you _and_ Frieza if I wanted to, now."

Zarbon pulled his head back and laughed out loud. The arrogance Gohan was displaying was absolutely hilarious to him. "I can't even begin to tell you how much of an overconfident fool you are for that statement, boy!" Zarbon's laughter died down before he added, "Alright, if that's how you like it, then fine. I'll do enough so as _not_ to kill you. I'm sure Frieza will have plenty of fun continuing your suffering."

"Well then come at me!" Gohan challenged. "I might even let you get a free shot in."

Zarbon growled and rushed towards Gohan, ready to tear him apart. He violently thrust his fist at Gohan's face, but the half-Saiyan warrior stepped to the side to dodge it, moving as if he was merely walking out of the way of a pedestrian as he took a stroll down the street. Zarbon hissed through his teeth but nonetheless continued his attempts to land a hit on Gohan. He went for another punch, but Gohan effortlessly leapt backwards to escape it. Zarbon tried to kick him in the head, but Gohan crouched down, and then sprung back up, cocking his head to the side to avoid the punch that Zarbon sent next.

Zarbon was growing frustrated. He should have been crushing Gohan's bones, but instead he was chasing after him in a game of cat and mouse while he kept looking at him with a calm, almost _bored_ expression. Zarbon's fire only grew when the half-Saiyan's lips curled into a smirk. "What's wrong, freak? Mad that the shoe's on the other foot now?"

With a simple swipe of the arm, Gohan hit Zarbon with a staggering blow that sent him spiraling down to the concrete surface. Zarbon wasn't a man accustomed to getting hurt so often, _especially_ in his monster form. Gohan landed on the ground and stalked towards Zarbon. He stopped just inches away from the man's head, curling his lips back in disgust.

"Does it anger you, Zarbon? To want to hurt someone _so badly_ only to be completely helpless?" Gohan sneered. He violently swung his leg upwards, nailing Zarbon's jaw with a ruthless kick that sprung him into the sky. Zarbon hit the floor again, much harder than before.

"You should have _never_ done so much to piss me off during those eight years, you pathetic son of a bitch," Gohan remarked, his voice ice cold and detached. "Unfortunately for you, I've got _a lot_ of steam to blow off."

Zarbon stumbled to his feet, shooting Gohan a murderous glare. "Silence, monkey!" he yelled before making a mad dash for him. He tried to punch Gohan once more, but the half-Saiyan hooked his arm with one hand, and then brutally slammed the other one right down on it. Zarbon let out an otherworldly howl of pain as he felt the bones in his arm crack like they were made of plastic under the Gohan's fist. Gohan squeezed more pressure on the beast's arm to grind his bones out even further, taking sadistic joy as he watched Zarbon's face turn a shade of red as a result of the immense pain.

The half-Saiyan finally relinquished his hold, letting Zarbon sink to the floor and tend to his injured arm. Gohan looked down at his groveling form with dark, empty eyes. "That's unfortunate," he callously remarked. He had been mirroring a similar occurrence from one of his so-called training sessions with Zarbon.

"It must suck to get beat around by pathetic monkey scum, doesn't it?" Gohan chastised, his pent-up insanity now out in the open. "GET UP!" he snapped as he smacked Zarbon across the face with his tail. When Zarbon's face sank to the ground, Gohan lifted his foot and then smashed the heel of his white boot right down on the back of his head. The violent force behind it was so great he made the ground crack. As if his point needed to be driven home further, Gohan stomped his head in several more times, at a methodical pace. Zarbon's muffled gasps and moans of pain were music to Gohan's ears.

Gohan casually kicked Zarbon in the sternum to launch him into the sky. He then fired a Ki blast right at him in the air, grinning in satisfaction when it hit and detonated on impact. Zarbon fell right back down, though Gohan caught up to him at lightning speed just before his feet hit the ground. Gohan then delivered a brutal punch right to his stomach, using just enough power to not impale him. Zarbon hacked up a mouthful of blood that spilled onto Gohan's cheek. Gohan snorted in a mix of disgust and amusement before wiping the blue fluid off of his face.

Gohan drew his hand away before cascading a relentless shower of blows upon the green alien, a devastating rain powered by the fury of a Saiyan who was carrying eight years of suffering. The crunching sounds of Zarbon's bones resulting from his intense strikes only further motivated Gohan to continue his assault. Gohan had never unleashed such fury before…and it felt damn good. It was invigorating for Gohan to just lose control and let his Saiyan instincts run things. Gohan finally halted his assault, letting Zarbon sink to the ground in a heap.

The half-Saiyan looked over his shoulder at the teenaged girl with the pigtails out of curiosity. She was watching the violent display with a mix of fear and awe. Her expression made Gohan smirk; at least _somebody_ was here to watch his slaughter of Zarbon.

Zarbon soon arose to his feet, which surprised Gohan slightly. An idea came to his head. Gohan raised his right hand and focused his Ki to his hand, concentrating it so it was glowing around it like a blade. "Come at me, scum."

Zarbon, though dazed, obliged. He charged at Gohan and tried to punch him with his good arm, but Gohan knocked him back with a simple kick. Zarbon somehow managed to land on his feet, though he skidded backwards. Gohan flew right at him and swung his Ki-charged arm at him, making Zarbon instinctively duck. As soon as he sprung back up, however, Gohan sliced him across the chest plate of his armor, easily cutting through the material and piercing his green skin. Zarbon screamed in agony as blood spilled from his chest. Gohan callously laughed as Zarbon collapsed and rolled around on the ground.

"You scar me, I scar you. Payback is a bitch, isn't it?" Gohan quipped.

Gohan once again stalked towards Zarbon and roughly fisted a handful of his thick, green hair. He hauled Zarbon up so he was standing on his knees, and then crouched down until his head was mere inches away from Zarbon's. His eyes were dark, clouded by pure bloodlust.

"Transform back to your normal form," Gohan demanded, his voice threateningly low.

Zarbon hesitated a second too long. It took just another second for Gohan to mercilessly drive his knee right into Zarbon's chest, very nearly shattering his rib cage. Gohan tightened his grip around Zarbon's hair.

"Do it!"

Zarbon complied, compressing himself to his regular size. His skin regained its previous smoothness, and his face returned to the elegant one of before, though it was now covered in blood and bruises. Gohan's lips curled into a smirk that was positively sinister.

"Perfect. I'm going to make that face you put so much pride in unrecognizable."

Before Zarbon could even completely open his mouth in pleading, Gohan hit him with the most brutal succession of punches he could muster. His right arm moving like a machine gun, Gohan relentlessly drove his fist into Zarbon's face, as fast as his body would allow. This was his payback, what he was waiting to taste for years. He didn't care if he looked like just as much of a monster as Frieza and his men for this. They deserved nothing less than the most violent punishments imaginable.

It took the fourteen year old half-Saiyan about two minutes before he finally calmed down and stopped his unholy rain of punches. Gohan darkly laughed as he looked at Zarbon's face. Blood was running freely from his nose, which was now unnaturally bent in several directions. His eyes were mostly shut, in reaction to the severe swelling around them. Zarbon's once silky lips were swelled to hideous degrees.

Gohan was now thoroughly satisfied. He raised his arm and smirked that sinister smirk once more. "I've been wanting to do this ever since you first laid your flamboyant little hands on me."

With a swipe of the arm, Gohan sliced Zarbon's head clean off.

Gohan snickered as the now headless figure fell to the floor. Gohan observed Zarbon's decapitated head like a trophy; hell, he was briefly contemplating keeping it as just that. However, he instead decided on the more practical method of tossing it away like a ball.

The pigtailed girl was stunned into silence. She had been in the midst of helping her father back up, but like a captivated moth, she couldn't glue her eyes away from the flame of Gohan's wrath. It was hideously brutal; this kid couldn't have been any older than her, yet he was a _monster_. However, that didn't matter, because he saved her life.

Well beyond the point of rational thinking, the girl stormed towards Gohan and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you…for saving me…"

Gohan shifted awkwardly. Something about the girl's embrace was oddly comforting. However, that was the last thing for him to be concerned about. Gohan grabbed her by the waist, as if he were returning the hug, but instead lightly shoved her back. He stared into her blue eyes for a few seconds before turning on his heel and flying away.

* * *

><p>Vegeta could already feel the familiar Ki signature of Cui flying in his direction; however, trash like him was nothing of his concern. He was instead flying towards Goku, to check in on how things had gone. As he flew over to the planet, he could see smoke rising in the wake of the destruction dealt to the cities of Earth. Understandable, in Vegeta's eyes, given just how many people Frieza brought with him.<p>

Speaking of Frieza, why hadn't he sensed him yet? Zarbon and Cui followed the lizard bastard around like their lips were permanently glued to his ass, so if they were here, Frieza would most assuredly be as well. So why wasn't he sensing him?

Vegeta shrugged. _Oh well, not like it matters. I'll be killing him anyway._

Vegeta looked down below him and saw a slew of corpses. The bodies were all wearing armors of different colors, but identical signs, which could only mean they were Frieza's men. In the center of the dead bodies was one man, clad in an orange uniform.

"I see you've done quite the job here, Kakarot!" Vegeta remarked as he flew down towards him.

Goku turned around, his eyes lighting up when he saw Vegeta. "I thought I sensed you, Vegeta! I thought you were one of Frieza's men!"

"Has the Ginyu Force been taken care of?" Vegeta inquired, though he already knew the answer to that question.

"Yeah, just about. I took care of them all," Goku replied.

Vegeta grunted and scanned the planet for certain Ki signatures. He could still feel Guldo, though he supposed that didn't matter. He could kill that smelly bastard himself without even lifting a finger. "Good. We have another 'guest' that will be joining us shortly. Don't even think about jumping in if you know what's good for you."

Goku curtly nodded. He didn't quite know the full extent of Vegeta's power, but just from what he was sensing now, he could tell it was _enormous_! He never felt a power quite like it in his life. Perhaps he _would_ be able to take care of Frieza.

Soon enough, a warrior with purple skin and large, yellow eyes joined them. "Speak of the devil…" Vegeta remarked. "Nice of you to join us, Cui!"

Cui snickered as he landed. "So I've finally found you, Vegeta. It's been so long, monkey prince! I almost missed that oversized forehead and severely impaired height."

A vein in Vegeta's temple pulsed. He was tempted to blow the bastard to bits right then and there for that little joke. "Enough with the idle bullshit, Cui. I already know why you're here. I hope your scouter's got a transmission with Frieza set up right now so he can hear me – his days are numbered!"

Cui laughed out loud. "Don't make me laugh, Vegeta! You're no match for Lord Frieza no matter how much you delude yourself into thinking otherwise. Might as well turn yourself in right now. I hear Frieza's got quite the gruesome plans for _you_." Cui cocked his head to the side to look at Goku. "And I see you've made yourself a friend. Is this that Kaka-whatever bastard Lord Frieza was talking about?"

"I prefer to go by Goku, but yeah," Goku tersely replied.

"Heh, yet another monkey swinging from the tree. You guys really are pests," Cui snidely remarked.

"It's been less than a minute and I'm already reminded of why your presence makes me want to vomit," Vegeta sneered. "Hurry the hell up and make a pathetic attempt at defeating me so I can laugh as I destroy you."

Cui blinked in astonishment at Vegeta's arrogance before bursting out into grating laughter. "Your pigheaded arrogance hasn't changed, Veggie! Fine, I'll humor you. You'll regret it, but since you insist…"

Goku took a step back to watch what would assuredly be a bloody display. The poor guy, he didn't know that he didn't stand a chance in hell. Goku would have given Cui the chance to escape and brush up on his skills so he could present him with a challenge, but alas, this wasn't his fight, and he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to cross paths with Vegeta for any reason.

Vegeta folded his arms over his armor. "I'm waiting, Cui."

"You asked for it, Veggie. Take THIS!" Cui sprung forward and nailed a hard punch right to Vegeta's jaw, whipping his head to the side. Cui smirked; that punch was perfect! Vegeta was surely reeling pretty badly from that. As long as he kept that up…

However, Cui's confidence sunk completely when Vegeta slowly rotated his head to face him again, a malicious grin present on his face. He didn't look even the slightest bit affected. There was a trickle of blood spilling from his lip, sure, but it looked to be absolutely trivial.

Vegeta wiped the crimson fluid from his lip. "That was a nice try, Cui. Now, I'm going to need you to step back a little bit. And make sure that scouter of yours is turned on, will you?" he asked with false cordiality.

Cui didn't move. Vegeta's smirk widened. "Not quite sure of your directions, are you? Here, let me assist you." Vegeta showed Cui how it was _really_ done, clocking him with a devastating punch to the jaw that knocked Cui back dozens of feet. Vegeta waited for Cui to stumble back up before lowering his arms and squaring his shoulders.

"Now, mind you, I'm only summoning up a fraction of my power when I do this," Vegeta arrogantly informed. Vegeta then exploded his Ki around him, raising it until Cui's scouter exploded right in his ear and knocked him into a seated position on the ground.

The purple-skinned warrior could only sit there, his jaw sank open in utter bewilderment. That number his scouter picked up before shattering was the most outrageous thing he'd ever seen – _850,000!_ What the hell had Vegeta done to become _stronger than Frieza?_

Now realizing that he was thoroughly screwed, Cui resorted to the only thing that made sense to do. He raised his arms in restraint, reading the bloodthirsty look in Vegeta's eyes like a book. "Vegeta, wait! You don't have to hurt me! I'll join you!"

"Oh, really?" Vegeta asked, still smirking as a show of his amusement.

"Y-yeah!" Cui replied with a forced smile. "I never like Lord Fr-…er, I mean _Frieza_ anyway! Heh heh."

"I'm afraid we're well beyond the bargaining stage, Cui," Vegeta grimly replied. He raised his arm, until Goku grabbed it.

"Don't do it, Vegeta; he's begging," Goku said, his voice firm.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and swatted Goku's hand off of his, nearly shoving him to the ground. "Don't give me that moralistic bullshit. I know this coward a lot better than you do. He's just babbling nonsense to save his life." Vegeta drew out his arm and gathered a lethal Ki to his palm. "And that is why he is going to die."

All of the color drained from Cui's face. Now desperate, the blue alien leapt up and turned around, blasting off in the air. "FR-FRIEZA!"

Vegeta cackled maniacally before firing a deadly, blue Ki blast. It hit its target directly, engulfing Cui and disintegrating him down to the last cell. Vegeta lowered his arm and stared at it, overjoyed with how effortlessly he fired off such a blast.

Goku could only stare at Vegeta in awe. It was insanity how he was able to summon a blast that powerful with little to no effort at all. His gawking was cut off, however, when a brown bag was tossed at his chest. "What's this?" he asked as he caught the bag just before it fell to the ground.

"Senzu bean bag. Use it wisely, because there's only one left," Vegeta replied.

"So, what now?" Goku asked as he tugged the bag under his belt.

"I will assist you in wiping out some of Frieza's men, if only because there are many soldiers that I've been itching to kill for a long time," Vegeta said, his lips curling into a sadistic smirk.

Goku looked at Vegeta uncomfortably for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright then. Lead the way."

"Hn."

Vegeta took off into the sky, and Goku followed his lead. Fighting alongside Vegeta was going to be interesting, to say the least.

* * *

><p>Gohan was flying through the sky, still riding off of the joy of finally killing Zarbon. He felt another Ki signal approaching him, this one unfamiliar just like Zarbon's was at first. It was strong, not compared to him, but in relative terms. Gohan stopped his flight just above another city that was lying in ruins, waiting for whoever this warrior was to come to him.<p>

He raised an intrigued eyebrow when the soldier stopped across from him. "I figured I'd eventually run into you, Arepa."

"Of course, Gohan," Arepa replied with a smirk. "I don't think I have to tell ya why I'm here."

"To send me to Frieza so he can kill me. Yeah, Zarbon said the same thing before I slaughtered him," Gohan boasted.

Arepa's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're lying…there's no way."

"Believe what you want," Gohan snickered.

Arepa looked at Gohan's suit and armor, and the truth that she didn't want to believe was on display to her, in the form of the blue liquid that was splattered all over his armor, his gloves, and dripping from the bottom of his white boot. "Oh my…"

"Believe me now? You should just back down, now," Gohan warned, both to scare her and because he wanted to avoid having to kill her if possible.

Arepa furiously shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You may have taken out Zarbon, but you won't be doin' the same thing to _me_! I've got a job to do, and I definitely can't fail."

"Are you sure you can even bring yourself to send me to my supposed death?" Gohan asked, tilting his head to the side.

Arepa swallowed in her throat, trying to find a good way to refute Gohan's question. She mustered up a forced smirk, in lieu of the sweat dripping down her head. "You know me, Gohan – I value my job over everything else, even if we're 'friends.'"

"You couldn't force me to do anything even if you put your heart in it," Gohan snorted. "There was always a gap between us in strength, and its widened exponentially since Frieza first sent out the orders of my execution."

"You may have gotten stronger, but so have I. I'll be able to take you, no problem!" Arepa haughtily shot back.

Gohan shook his head, lightly chuckling as he did. "You have no idea, Arepa. As I am now, I'm the strongest person in the universe. You _can't_ win."

Arepa's jaw sunk open, not sure of whether or not Gohan had gone crazy or if he was actually speaking the truth. Gohan was never really the type of person to make bluffs and lie about his power in order to make himself look good. Had he _really_ become even stronger than Frieza, now? She knew that Gohan had a ridiculously high threshold for growth, but to get from 19,000 to somewhere above 530,000 in the course of a year sounded completely out of this world.

"That's bullshit. You can't be that powerful."

"Don't believe me? Take a good look at that scouter of yours and watch me go to work."

"No," Arepa spat. She took off her scouter and then crushed it to pieces, to Gohan's surprise. "I'm not gonna waste my time dwellin' on stupid numbers. I'm a fighter first and foremost, and whether you're stronger than me, I don't give a shit. Frieza gave me two hours to bring you back to him, and I'm not failing!"

Gohan sighed, though he felt a deep sense of admiration swelling up in his chest. She was just like he was going into his fights with Dodoria and Avocado. He knew how outmatched he was, but it made no difference, because his life was on the line. The half-Saiyan folded his arms over his armor. "Alright then, Arepa. You want to fight me, then let's go."

Arepa smirked at her former ally. "Perfect. You _better_ not go easy on me."

Gohan hissed through his teeth, as he wasn't sure he was willing to oblige to that particular demand. If he were to go all-out, he would destroy her with just one punch. "Whatever. Try to attack me."

"What is this, a spar?" Arepa jested.

"Well, if you insist…" Gohan phased out of sight. Arepa was now immediately regretting destroying her scouter, because she couldn't find Gohan anywhere. He might as well have just left the planet, because there wasn't even a sign of him in the immediate area.

"Looking for me?"

Arepa's breath shortened when she heard his voice just inches behind her. The chest plate of his armor was pressing against her back, he was so close. Letting out an indignant growl, Arepa spun around and swung her arm at Gohan, only to hit thin air. "Dammit, cut that shit out!"

"But I thought you said not to go easy on you," Gohan innocently replied, behind her once again. Growing frustrated, Arepa turned around to face him. This time, Gohan didn't move, instead staring at her with an annoying smirk etched across his face.

"Is this just a game to you, Gohan?" Arepa demanded.

Gohan's smirk disappeared. "Like I said, you can't win. Look, I really don't want to kill you. You can just give up, and I'll ensure that you live the rest of your life in peace when Frieza's taken care of."

"Shut UP!" Arepa shrieked as she fired a Ki blast right in Gohan's face. Gohan swatted it away like it was plastic ball, letting it fly into a car down below. She rushed at Gohan and tried to land a series of punches on him, but the half-Saiyan blocked them all with just his palms.

Arepa sighed and floated back, her frustration growing. Gohan looked at her sternly. "Are you done yet?"

"Dammit, just fight me!" Arepa yelled, her breath shaky.

"If I fight you, I'll kill you." Gohan bluntly replied.

"I _don't care_," Arepa bitterly answered back. "Look, Gohan, ever since you first brought me into Frieza's army, I've always wanted to prove myself to you. Of course, you just kept getting' so strong that I've never even had a chance of catchin' up. Above all, I want your _respect_. And if you keep playin' around with me and treatin' me like I'm just some kitten, how the hell is that supposed to make me feel, huh?"

Angry tears were failing from Arepa's eyes, which made Gohan have to turn his head away. She was obviously adamant about earning Gohan's respect, and the half-Saiyan realized that the only way he could show it was by dignifying her efforts, showing her that he didn't think of her as scum for him to toy with. Taking a deep breath, Gohan replied, "Fine. I'll do it. If you want me to go on the offensive, then I will."

Arepa wiped her eyes of the tears, her stomach churning over the fact that she was crying in the first place. "Excellent. Hit me with your best shot, _monkey boy."_

Gohan response was immediate and violent. The half-breed nailed her in the jaw with a punch so hard it sent her flying back at greater speeds than she could generate with her own Ki. She hit the ground so hard it formed a crater.

Gohan floated down to the ground, landing just a few inches from the small crater. "How what _that_ for my best shot?"

Arepa was seeing stars, having never felt a force so powerful in her life. And yet strangely, having it come from Gohan of all people was invigorating. Arepa slowly stood up, rubbing at her throbbing jaw. "Eh, it c-could've been better…"

Gohan snorted in amusement before lifting his hand and generating a shockwave with his Ki that blew Arepa back several feet. She fell through the window of a small building, and didn't come out for a few moments. Then, to Gohan's entertainment, she came barreling out of the structure, toppling it to pieces with her strength. The wild-spirited female fired a lethal Ki blast right at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan swatted it down and then dashed at Arepa. Lifting both of his hands up and clasping them together, Gohan violently slammed his fists right on top of Arepa's head, sending her to the ground.

Gohan snickered when Arepa came roaring back up, flying at him at furious speed. He wasn't laughing, however, when Arepa landed her attack. As a matter of fact, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head, as Arepa hit squarely in the groin with the hardest punch in her arsenal. Gohan let out a loud wail and fell to the surface in a heap, desperately grabbing at his crotch.

"Betcha didn't see _that_ comin', huh? I sure did damage to the ol' jewels!" Arepa crassly remarked from above.

Gohan slowly stood up, his crotch area feeling like it was on fire. He gave Arepa a glare that spelled rage. "Y-you…clever _bitch!_"

"'Bitch?' Don't flatter me, Gohan!"

Though Gohan was still fuming a little, he couldn't fight the smirk rising to his face. Arepa was extremely cute with her firecracker personality, and it never ceased to amuse the half-breed. Gohan phased out of sight and reappeared in front of her. "I won't let you catch me with a cheapshot like that again."

"Oh really?" Arepa asked before swinging her foot up, looking to do more damage to Gohan's crotch. However, to her shock, Gohan easily grabbed her by her foot. Gohan then began spinning in a circle, allowing Arepa to violently swing under his grip. He then tossed her off into an abandoned building, which was demolished when she collided with it. Arepa soon flew out from the rubble, however, and zipped up to Gohan with lightning speed. She threw a barrage of punches at the half-Saiyan, but was met with poor results. Gohan caught two punches with his palms and then roughly hauled Arepa to him as he slammed his knee into her jaw. He followed that up with a punch to the face that sent her to the ground.

Gohan soon joined her down below, folding his arms across his chest as she slowly staggered to her feet. "Even though you don't stand a snowball's chance in hell against me, I at least admire your toughness, Arepa."

Arepa felt a great feeling of pride build up within her. That was all she wanted from Gohan, to get his praise. "Th-thanks, Son Gohan…"

Gohan's grin widened as he recalled an old joke he made to Arepa a few years prior. "Not that you can win or anything of course, but I'm just…_Saiyan_."

Arepa and Gohan both shared a laugh at that incredibly corny joke, the tension between them easing up. However, Arepa knew that she still had a job to do, and her two hour window was nearing its end. An idea came to her head. Arepa looked up to the sky, her eyes widening. "Whoa, Lord Frieza, what the hell are you doing here?"

Gohan suddenly turned around, not scared, but just ready to finally destroy him once and for all. However…there was nothing there, just the cloudy sky. That distraction was all Arepa needed before she ran up to Gohan and grabbed hold of his tail.

"Yeah, _now_ I've got you!" Arepa proclaimed. "Sure, you may be way stronger than me, but even power can't beat a solid plan!" she yelled as she haughtily laughed.

That died down, however, when Gohan was continuing to stand straight, as if nothing was happening. That definitely _didn't_ happen when she used to constantly tease Gohan with the maneuver during their time under Frieza.

"Yeah, no."

Gohan hit her with a violent elbow right to her face, without even turning around. Arepa flew into a building and violently landed on it, the stone structure not giving way at all. She felt like such an idiot; her one surefire key to victory had completely failed. Gohan methodically walked towards her, an amused grin etched across his face.

"Tell me, Arepa, did you really think I'd let my tail be a weakness forever? It was a good plan, in theory, but you might as well have just grabbed me by the balls instead," Gohan sarcastically said.

Arepa bowed her head in shame. She leaned forward from the building, getting down on her knees as a show of surrender. "You're right…I've been a fool. I can't win against you, and it's painfully obvious. I'd rather have my life ended by _you_ instead of Frieza. Please…kill me."

Gohan just stood there, almost stunned by what Arepa was requesting. He had never seen that girl in all of his years working for Frieza actually quit, for anything. Letting out a drawn out sigh, Gohan raised his palm, gathering a deadly amount of Ki to it.

Arepa's muscle tensed up as she waited for the attack to hit her. However, the life ending blast she was expecting didn't hit her at all, instead being fired at and destroying a building far off to her left. She looked at Gohan with bewilderment.

"But, why, Gohan?" she asked.

Gohan shrugged. "Look, Arepa, I meant it when I said I don't want to kill you. You want to truly win my respect? Don't let this loss get to you. Escape from this planet, and train hard, so you can get back at me one day. I'll be looking forward to it."

Arepa gave Gohan a warm smile as she slowly rose to her feet. "Wow, Gohan…thank you. I really mean it." Her brows furrowed as her smile formed into a smirk. "And I promise you, I'll come back here to kick your ass one day!" Arepa lifted her arm to playfully slap Gohan across the face. Her hand was just inches away from his face…

However, her hand sank to her side and she was suddenly hacking up a mouthful of blood. The color drained from Gohan's face when he looked down and saw a hole in the left side of her chest, a trail of light shooting through it that was fading away. Arepa fell right on his shoulder. The teenaged girl weakly moved her head off from Gohan's side, looking at the Saiyan right in the face as she desperately gasped for air.

"G-Gohan…"

She fell, landing face down on the floor in a puddle of her own blood. Gohan stood there, at a loss for words. She had been struck by a beam right through the heart, clearly. But by what? Gohan managed to force his eyes away from his now dead friend and looked up at the sky. When Gohan saw the figure standing above him, with its arm outstretched, an insurmountable fire exploded within him.

"FRIEZA!"

In a fit of rage, Gohan blasted off into the sky and stormed at the lizard tyrant who murdered his one true friend. However, his flight halted and he froze in shock when Frieza suddenly exploded in size. His muscle mass practically doubled and crushed his armor to pieces. His horns were now protruding in the shape of handlebars. Frieza phased out of sight, as Gohan could only hover in the sky in shock.

"I'm right behind you, Son Gohan," Frieza said, his voice now deeper than before, yet still having that same quaintness.

Gohan slowly turned around but was soon desperately heaving for air when Frieza flew at him and drove his horn right through his stomach. Frieza darkly chuckled as Gohan's crimson blood spilled down his horn and to his lips. Gohan spat out a mouthful of blood into Frieza's face, which only made him cackle in delight. Removing his horn from Gohan's insides, Frieza slammed both of his fists down on Gohan's shoulders and knocked him down to the ground. He landed right next to Arepa.

"One monkey down, and only two to go…"

Goku was flying away, having just cleared another city of invaders with Vegeta. The Saiyan prince decided to split off from him and hunt down the remaining member of the Ginyu Force. Goku stopped mid-flight when he felt two radical fluctuations in power. One skyrocketed…and then the other fell dramatically. Goku tried to focus his senses on whoever the being was, and his heart nearly burst out of chest when he realized…

"Gohan, no!"

Goku urgently flew off in the direction of where Gohan's Ki was falling, hoping he'd make it in time to give him the last Senzu bean. He could only guess that the Ki that increased was none other than Frieza.

* * *

><p>In another city, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien were in the middle of killing off more of Frieza's men. It was getting absolutely exhausting just how many of them they were. Multiple men flew at Krillin, so the bald warrior used one of his most reliable attacks to take care of them at once. He raised his hand and focused his Ki, forming it into a disc, known only as the Kienzan. Krillin fired the wide blade at the soldiers, violently splitting them all in half.<p>

"Good job, Krillin!" Yamcha commended.

Krillin turned around and gave him a thumbs up, and then wiped sweat off from his forehead. It had been an exhausting day. They were all about to fly away from the city, until they felt a power level approaching them. The humans looked up in the sky and saw a short, green man flying in their direction. He was very ugly, and toad like, with an additional set of eyes.

"Looks like someone else is in for the fun," Yamcha said, snorting in disgust over the latest soldier.

The green man landed, and all four of his eyes were filled with anger over being mocked. "How dare you talk to me like that, scarboy! I'll have you know that I'm in the Ginyu Force!" He crouched down one knee and raised both of his arms over his head. "I AM GULDO!"

"The Ginyu Force, eh? I heard those guys were supposed to be ridiculously strong, but you don't look like much at all!" Krillin jeered.

"Probably just a benchwarmer," Yamcha chuckled.

"SHUT UP!" Guldo snapped, his proverbial berserk button being virtually smashed to pieces. "You may mock me, but you're all gonna be in for a rude awakening!"

"Oh please, don't bother trying to scare us," Tien dismissively remarked. "I'll take you out myself."

"Bring it on, three-eyes!" Guldo insulted.

Tien chose not to comment on the irony of Guldo mocking someone for an eye irregularity. He instead leaped forward and thrust fist out, looking to land the killing blow on the pudgy four eyed alien. Realizing that he couldn't take Tien head on, Guldo took a huge breath and held it, freezing time as a result. He flinched hard when he realized just how close Tien's fist was from hitting him and possibly tearing his head off. Choosing not to dwell on that, Guldo ran as fast as his body could allow, getting a safe distance away from Tien. However, he quickly lost his breath and fell over, bringing time back to normal.

Tien stumbled over, slightly disoriented by whatever the hell just occurred. To his shock, his fist only swung at air rather than Guldo's green skin. "Where'd he go? It was like one second he was here and the next second he was gone."

"To your right, Tien!" Chiaotzu yelled.

Tien looked in that direction and indeed, Guldo was there, laying on the ground and panting for air. Tien had no clue how he did it - there was no way a goof like him was able to move fast enough to escape him. Guldo stumbled back up to his feet and fired a Ki blast at Tien. However, the bald warrior was able to swat it away with ease, and then charged at Guldo, this time looking to nail a kick. However, it happened again – Guldo vanished while Tien found himself stumbling over.

"How is he doing that? He's not even moving fast, he's just outright disappearing!" Tien yelled.

Chiaotzu cupped his chin in his hand, trying to figure out how Guldo was pulling this disappearing act off. The technique suddenly hit him – it was a psychic technique, one that he had seen put to use before his training under the Crane Hermit. He was surprised someone so far across the universe knew it as well.

"Wait, I know what he's doing! He's stopping time by holding his breath!" Chiaotzu reported.

"Are you serious?" Tien incredulously asked.

Guldo's face flushed into a more sickly shade of green. "Oh crap, they know my secret!"

"Don't worry, Tien, I'll keep him from being able to do that!" Chiaotzu turned his attention to Guldo, raising his hands. "Hey, you: what's two plus two?"

Guldo opened his mouth to answer, and that was when Chiaotzu took advantage. He used his own psychic powers to freeze Guldo's mouth in the opened position it was in now, preventing him from being able to hold his breath. Tien nodded and then flew at Guldo, nailing a vicious punch right to his face that sent him flying into a car.

_Shit!_ Guldo inwardly cursed. He wasn't counting on another psychic warrior being all the way on this planet. Not only was he unable to rely on stopping time, but he looked completely ridiculous with his mouth forced open like this! Guldo couldn't accept this at all. So Chiaotzu wanted to use his psychic techniques? He would counter them with his own, easily. The four earth warriors all flew at Guldo, so he used the opportunity to unleash his special technique. He lifted both of his arms up and screamed, now able to control his mouth movement again.

Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu all of a sudden froze where they were, feeling like some force was grabbing hold of them and suspending them in mid-air. Krillin looked off to the side – they seemed to be locked in some sort of blue force field.

Guldo let out a grating laugh. "Oh yeah, you idiots are screwed now! Try fighting _that_, half-pint!" He ran up to Chiaotzu and pulled at red cheeks, treating him like the little kid he resembled. Chiaotzu angrily growled, but with this force field, he was helpless.

Guldo stepped back and looked for an object that would serve as a suitable weapon to possibly skewer them with. He looked at his surroundings, trying to find something sharp. His search was answered in the form of something sitting atop a large skyscraper that was still standing – a lightning rod! Guldo laughed and then used his telekinesis to detach the large rod from the building and draw it to him.

"Oh yes, this thing is going to make you all into shiskobob!" Guldo exclaimed. He turned the rod so it was facing forward, ready to carve through everything in its path. With a thrust of his arm, Guldo sent the pole flying at the earthlings. Its first target was Krillin, who was now screaming in his head about how he's never going to get married now.

To his surprise, however, whatever force was bearing down on him disappeared, allowing him to jump out of its way in the nick of time. Krillin landed on the floor and looked in Guldo's direction, trying to see what caused him to relinquish the technique. What he saw shocked him even more. Sure, Guldo was standing there…but there was no head on his shoulders! Krillin looked to his left, and found none other than Vegeta looking at him, with a disgusted look on his face. Lying at his feet was the severed head of Guldo.

"V-Veggie! Where did you come from?" Guldo demanded, strangely still able to talk.

"You won't have to worry about that, seeing as how you'll be in Other World soon," Vegeta replied, looking down at Guldo's severed head with a sadistic smirk. He raised his palm, and then fired a Ki blast at his head that blew it to pieces.

"Uh…thanks…?" Krillin remarked.

"I can't believe you pathetic humans actually allowed Guldo to get the better of you all with his psychic powers," Vegeta snorted. "You're lucky that I had a bone to pick with that grubby bastard, or else I would have let you fools die."

Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu fixed Vegeta with angry snarls. Krillin was about to open his mouth to protest, until the most sinister voice he had ever heard in his life suddenly emerged from behind him.

"Oh, don't worry, Vegeta, I'll do that myself."

All eyes turned to the man standing behind the humans. He was _huge_, with large bull-like horns, pink, limbs and a white torso, violet patches covering his chest and shoulders. His eyes were dark, and positively terrifying. His eyes were only matched by the bloodthirsty smirk his icy lips were curled into.

"Ah, so you've finally shown yourself, Frieza. You've been working out, I see."

The humans turned around and looked at Vegeta. That name struck all of them with fear. "Th-th-this is FRIEZA?" Krillin stammered.

"Well now, it looks my reputation precedes me," Frieza remarked, deriving great joy upon seeing the looks of fear fixed on the faces of the humans.

"Enough with the talk, Frieza. I know as good as anyone what you're here for. What's up with the change in appearance?" Vegeta asked, eager to have Frieza challenge him so he could crush him with his newfound power.

"Ah, Vegeta, the impudent Saiyan prince. I can see it in your eyes how much you're itching to challenge me. I find that most interesting," Frieza said.

"Isn't it obvious? My power has grown exponentially since you last saw me," Vegeta proudly boasted, folding his arms over his armor. "You may have been able to make me your servant for all of those years, but you won't be doing that anymore."

Frieza bit his fingernail to stifle back his laughter. "Oh really, have you gotten stronger? I would just _love_ to test the validity of such a claim," he challenged, his eyes narrowing. Frieza suddenly phased out of sight, reappearing right in front of Vegeta. The earthlings scrambled, wanting no part of a duel between two warriors so strong.

Frieza swung his fist at Vegeta's face, but the Saiyan prince, showing no visible signs of strain, jumped up to evade it and then violently slammed the heel of his white boot right into Frieza's skull. The force of his kick sent Frieza flying into a building, which he caved in to. Vegeta actually had to take a moment to laugh. He had waited _so long_ to finally be able to retaliate against Frieza. Hitting him felt _too_ good.

Frieza used his Ki to destroy the building he was kicked into, and then flew back over to Vegeta. He was looking at him with a glare that spelled murder, but Vegeta was staring right back at him with the utmost confidence. Frieza soon found himself laughing. "Oh my…you _are_ stronger than before. _Significantly,_ I may add. Yes, this is most excellent, Vegeta. I do not doubt that such an increase is the result of not having me to force you into complacency, no?"

Vegeta felt bile rising to his throat. Even now, Frieza was talking down on him with his feigned politeness, commending him with his snide drawl as if he were reporting a purge to him in his throne room. "Spare me. I know damn well that wasn't your full power, Frieza. Come on, bring out that measly number of 530,000 so I can humiliate you at your strongest."

Frieza broke out into obnoxious laughter. "Dear me, did you really think all of this time that 530,000 was my _true _power? I suppose I should have informed you a long time ago that I am capable of transforming, because it was honestly a matter of time before you betrayed me. This form in particular is my first transformation. My power level is now over _one million_!"

Vegeta was surprised, but not scared in the slightest. He smirked at Frieza, looking down on his attempts to strike fear in him. "Do you expect me to be scared, Frieza? You have no idea how hard I've trained. Even a power level of one million is child's play to me at this point."

Frieza bit his fingernail, mulling over what his intuition was telling him. "Yes, I can tell just from that kick you landed on me. In fact, I think I may have to skip my second transformation and go straight to the third, which is my _true_ form."

"It doesn't matter to me, Frieza, because you're dead either way," Vegeta dismissively replied, completely sure that his power would be enough to destroy Frieza even with it being higher than 530,000.

Frieza sighed and shook his head, feigning disappointment. "It really pains me to do this, Vegeta. Why? Why did you have to turn on me like this? You would have anything you wanted, continually serving under me and purging planets. But alas, you insist on being the haughty _Prince of all Saiyans_."

Vegeta's lips curled back in disgust. "Bullshit; you were the one who started this when you decided to have my comrade executed."

Frieza snorted in amusement. "But Vegeta, I thought you were supposed to be the cold-hearted Saiyan prince. You're out for nobody but yourself, as all attachments are nothing but flimsy threads to be cut off as soon as they are no longer advantageous to you. If you're _truly_ as you say you are, then Gohan's life should mean nothing to you." Frieza's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Don't tell me that you actually _care_ about the boy!"

The Saiyan prince angrily hissed through his teeth, not in the mood for Frieza's patronizing, even if it were true. "Enough! Just get on with your silly transformation so I can crush you once and for all."

"Fine then, my precious monkey prince. I must warn you, my true form _may_ frighten you," Frieza replied, squaring his shoulders. Vegeta merely snorted in response. Frieza giggle before focusing his frightening energy. A pink, sinister aura began building around him as he became engulfed in a similarly colored glow. The ground beneath them began rumbling violently, the large buildings in the area precariously swaying back and forth.

Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu jumped to the sky, completely stricken with fear. They had _never_ felt power like this before. And it was rising, going to up to ridiculous levels. And yet, Vegeta was standing in the middle of it all, completely composed even as the ground shook.

Violent anticipation arose in Vegeta. This was it, Frieza's true power. Vegeta was going to prove that he was the strongest by toppling him while he was at his best. This was the moment where the Saiyan prince would put his _Super Saiyan_ powers on display for everyone in the universe. His name was going to go down in infamy in just a few moments.

Letting out a loud battle cry, Frieza pushed his Ki as high as he could, releasing his true power in a horrific flash of light that the five other warriors had to shield their eyes from to avoid being blinded. Several buildings crashed to the floor, and cars flew hundreds of feet away, all a result of the terrible power Frieza was unleashing.

Soon, the light faded, and the smoke from the explosions cleared. Vegeta watched as the thick clouds spread away, making sure he got a good look at Frieza's figure. It started to become clear – he was lean, about the same size as he was in his original form. Finally, his full body was revealed – he looked almost humanlike in design. His skin was as white as snow, the violet patches from before being retained. His head was round, almost resembling a globe. And though his body had changed, there was one thing that remained the same – those eyes. They were was evil as they'd always been, narrowed menacingly for the incoming battle. Slowly, a smirk spread across his icy, purple lips.

"And now, it is time for the show of terror to commence."


	20. To the Last Breath

Vegeta stared down the newly transformed Frieza with unwavering confidence. Though it was extremely clear that the lizard tyrant's strength had skyrocketed, it didn't faze the Saiyan prince at all. In fact, he _invited_ it. He was a Super Saiyan, now – he was sure of it. And the first thing he wanted was a good test of his newfound power. What better way than for it to be the bastard he vigorously served for the majority of his life? This was the moment that he had waited 35 long years for – the moment he would finally crush Frieza's skull beneath his feet.

The tension in the air was thick as Vegeta and Frieza commenced their intense staredown. Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu could only look in awe at the two fearsome beings standing before them. None of the earth warriors had ever felt power this enormous in their lives. The battle that was incoming was going to be a tremendous one. Though none of them particularly liked Vegeta, being that he was arrogant, foul-tempered, and constantly belittled them, they were firmly on his side.

Frieza slowly raised one of his pale hands, causing everyone but Vegeta to visibly tense up. His hand wasn't particularly aimed at anything, instead just hanging in the air. His cold, red eyes were fierce, yet at the same time calm as he studied Vegeta and the humans. They were looking at him expectantly, waiting to see whatever he had in store.

"Bang."

In a flash, a moderate explosion occurred, startling the humans and sending them to the floor. Vegeta remained still, however, not even breaking a sweat. As Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu rose to their feet, they realized something was terribly wrong. The smoke from whatever that explosion was faded away, revealing the fallen body of Yamcha. He wasn't moving, and was covered in dirt. In the middle of his orange Gi was a nasty burn, one that tore a hole through the front and showed his smoldering skin.

Their collective hearts sank when they realized they weren't sensing any Ki from him. Whatever that explosion was had killed their longtime ally and friend.

"YAMCHA!" the three shouted in unison, in despair over the loss of him.

The flash of pink that was glowing at Frieza's fingertip faded away and he lowered his arm, letting out a dark chuckle as he did. "Such a shame," he said in feigned sadness, "I so terribly wanted for him to also be able to be a spectator of my show of terror, but alas, I needed to test my new power."

Frieza's eyes darkened as he turned his attention to the humans, whose eyes were all filled with a similar amount of rage. "I suppose I'll just have to make you three take in his share."

"D-damn you…you _monster_!" Krillin hissed, trembling with anger. Tien and Chiaotzu were seething with rage as well, but they knew good and well that they stood no chance; it would be stupid for them to throw their lives away, and Yamcha wouldn't have wanted it. This wasn't their battle – it was Vegeta's.

As the three tended to their fallen comrade, Vegeta snorted in disgust. He had seen Frieza's attack very clearly – a single Ki blast. But he made no attempt to save that fool. That blast was to be his eternal punishment for being such a pathetic weakling. Vegeta looked over his shoulder at the three sulking fighters.

"You fools better not let the loss of that piece of trash affect your reasoning," he harshly ordered, getting glares for his comment. "This is _my_ fight, and I don't want you weaklings getting in my way."

Vegeta turned his head back to his former ruler, and then crossed his arms over his armor. "Did it give you satisfaction to dispose of a helpless dog like him, huh Frieza?" Vegeta inquired, with a wide smirk etched across his face. "You better savor that feeling, because he was the last person you'll _ever_ kill."

Frieza snickered in amusement. "Oh, is that so? And what supposes you to think _that_, my precious Prince?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Vegeta raised his hand and firmly pointed his thumb at his chest. "I am that which you fear most – a Super Saiyan!"

Frieza chuckled once more, a bit louder this time. "Oh my, once again spouting _that _frivolous legend again. I haven't seen you in over a year, and you're still the same hotheaded fool as always. I terribly missed you, Vegeta."

Vegeta's face contorted into a scowl, his temper gradually building over Frieza's age-old belittling of him. "You won't be laughing when I wipe that hideous smile off of your face!"

"Now, Vegeta, I taught you better than that. Don't throw idle threats unless you're absolutely sure you can back them up."

"Oh I assure you, I will. This is the end of the line for you, Frieza!" Vegeta declared, a vein in his temple throbbing both in anticipation and in agitation.

Frieza's smirk widened. "Well enough with the chit-chat then. Come now, show me the power of the," Frieza paused to let out another amused snort, "_Super Saiyan._"

Vegeta crouched down and squared both of his shoulders, squeezing his fists tightly. Letting out a ferocious roar, Vegeta's Ki exploded around him, releasing a gust that blew Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu back. The three flew into the air, with Krillin carrying Yamcha's corpse over his shoulders. Vegeta's fearsome power was making the entire planet shake, though Frieza merely stood there, staring blankly.

"Man, Vegeta's power is _huge_!" Tien remarked.

"Yeah, I hear ya," Krillin replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "I think Vegeta really can do it."

Vegeta's ascent of power finally came to a halt, as he let out a long exhale. The tremors in the planet ceased, everything calming around him. Vegeta's dark, blue aura was waving dangerously around the Saiyan. He smirked widely, completely sure that victory was coming his way.

"It's a shame you don't have one of your scouters with you. You would be cowering in fear at the level it would pick up!" Vegeta boasted.

"If you say so…"

Vegeta frowned and clamped down hard on his jaw. This was _it_. "Prepare to die, Frieza!"

The two warriors jumped into the sky and met in a clash that was destiny. The shockwave generated from their meeting managed to blow the three human warriors back several feet, and made even the largest of the buildings still standing tremble. Frieza was the one to go for the first strike, thrusting his fist at Vegeta's face. However, Vegeta evaded the attack with ease. The fear that he had always felt towards the lizard tyrant was now long gone. He was absolutely sure he now had the power to destroy Frieza. The Saiyan prince's mind was completely clear, his only goal being Frieza's destruction.

Vegeta swung his fist at Frieza, but he dodged it with the same level of ease Vegeta demonstrated. The tyrant aimed a deadly kick right at Vegeta's jaw, but he flew high up into the sky to avoid it. Frieza's eyes narrowed in annoyance as he raised his hand, pointing his index finger straight up. He fired a bright, narrow, pink beam from it, one aimed straight at Vegeta. However, the Prince moved out of the way quickly and then phased out of sight. He reappeared right behind Frieza and swiped his arm down, aiming a deadly blow at his neck. However, just when Vegeta's hand was mere centimeters from his neck, Frieza disappeared.

Vegeta's left eye twitched in annoyance, but he was otherwise unfazed. He could feel Frieza's Ki emanating somewhere behind him. Vegeta turned around and saw Frieza standing atop a large building, his arm outstretched. His palm was burning with a deadly Ki. Frieza fired the blast, but Vegeta, to his surprise, managed to catch it. He was counting on him dodging the attack, and then using his own energy control to chase the blast after him.

Vegeta grit his teeth as the blast forced him down to the ground. It was stronger than he expected, and he didn't properly brace himself for it. However, once he got his Ki under control, he was able to shoot the blast straight into a small market building. The blast hit the structure and exploded, turning the small building into nothing but dust. Vegeta lowered his palms and observed them. There was smoke coming from them as a result of the heat from the blast fired at him. _Yes…just as tough as I expected._

"I see, now, Vegeta! You certainly have grown much stronger in the past year!" Frieza complimented, still standing on the roof of the building. "I do hope that your power and confidence lasts for the remainder of our battle!"

"I've had enough of your mouth, Frieza!" Vegeta barked.

Frieza closed his eyes and shook his head in mock disappointment. "Tsk, always _so_ disrespectful."

Frieza raised his Ki, causing the entire building he was standing on top of to collapse. He and Vegeta flew straight at each other, once again clashing in mid-air. They threw several attacks, all of them colliding and yielding no satisfactory results, but being strong enough to make everything around them shake. Vegeta attempted to land a deadly kick to Frieza's temple, but the lizard evaded it in the nick of time. He flew behind Vegeta and attempted to tear his head off with a swing of his forearm, but Vegeta managed to duck it. The Saiyan prince swung back around and tried to attack Frieza, but his former overlord flew away backwards. Vegeta irritably hissed through his teeth and flew after him, drawing into a game of cat and mouse.

Vegeta attempted to land a hit on Frieza several times, but Frieza was a step ahead for each one. With each evasion Frieza made, Vegeta's temper rose up slightly. He threw a punch at Frieza with much more strength and speed behind it than before, but his fist instead collided with skyscraper that was directly behind Frieza, completely destroying the top half of it. Vegeta let out a frustrated growl, cursing his inability to land a hit on the bastard, but was quickly thrust back into attention when he sensed the Ki blast coming his way. He phased out of sight in the nick of time, and then reappeared behind Frieza.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Vegeta taunted, raising his arm. He released a Ki-generated shockwave from his palm, but to his shock, Frieza jumped out of the way, avoiding the impact. He looked back up at Vegeta, an infuriating smirk present on his face.

"Likewise," he playfully shot back.

Vegeta shot Frieza with a piercing glare and then swung his fist at him. However, Frieza easily swatted it away and, in a belittling move, swung his tail at Vegeta. Vegeta was able to counter it, though, grabbing the tail with both of his arms. Frieza's eyes widened in surprise and he soon found himself being spun around at a dizzying rate. Vegeta effortlessly tossed Frieza right out of his grip, sending the tyrant flying straight towards a building dozens of feet away. Vegeta flew up to him at great speed and then landed the first strike, slamming both of his feet straight into Frieza's jaw.

Frieza hit the ground hard, triggering a minor explosion. Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu looked down in surprise. The fight had been staggering thus far, and they had trouble keeping up with the two powerful warrior's moves.

"Oh wow, he actually got him!" Chiaotzu marveled.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm definitely glad Vegeta's on our side right now," Tien remarked.

"But probably not for long…" Krillin grimly replied.

Frieza slowly rose from the pile of dust he was laying under and looked up at Vegeta. He began dusting off his dirt-stained arms as he remarked, "Oh my, you are the first person I've had to dust off after since my father. Indeed, I may have to look into your means of gaining power when this is all said and done."

"You won't have to worry about doing _that_!" Vegeta sneered. He clenched his teeth tightly. _Dammit, he looks completely unfazed_.

Vegeta descended to the ground. His tail was waving methodically behind him, expressing his slow building anger.

"Well now, out of my good graces, I shall grant the first round to you," Frieza said, a smirk ever-present on his face. "However, I'm not quite sure I'll be able to say the same thing later," he added, his eyes darkening.

"Don't be absurd. The next round will end just the same as the last, although you won't be able to make your witty remarks when I'm squeezing the air out of your head," Vegeta scoffed.

"Ever the confident one, are you Vegeta?" Frieza snickered. "I'll show you fear yet."

"Bring it on."

Frieza's eyes narrowed and he charged at Vegeta with considerable speed. He threw a punch at the prince, but Vegeta managed to raise both of his arms over his head to absorb the attack. However, Frieza's fist still managed to make Vegeta stagger back a bit, and he flipped backward to widen the distance from him. Frieza aimed a kick at Vegeta's jaw, but the flame-haired Saiyan was able to swat his foot down. The two fighters met in a lightning quick exchange of hand-to-hand attacks, which Frieza won with a kick to the face that sent Vegeta flying back into a piece of stone leftover from a destroyed building.

Vegeta stood back up, rubbing below his right eye but otherwise still in good shape. It was going to take Frieza a lot more than that to take him out, and he had experienced such pain at his hand for years, anyway.

"Well, it looks like we're even, Vegeta," Frieza boasted.

Vegeta arrogantly smirked. "Don't let that temporary victory get to your head." His expression darkened as he continued, "You're going to fall at the hands of a Super Saiyan regardless."

Vegeta flared up his Ki, causing the ground beneath him and Frieza to crumble. They both flew into the sky, and Vegeta managed to catch Frieza with a punch to the face. Frieza quickly recovered, however, and kicked Vegeta right in the gut. Vegeta doubled over in pain, which gave Frieza the opportunity to slam his elbow right onto Vegeta's back. Vegeta fell to the ground, but landed on both of his feet. His head snapped up when he saw Frieza spiraling down at him. After moving out of the way quickly, Vegeta flinched when the impact of Frieza's feet slamming into the ground hit.

Suddenly, several fragments of rock came flying at Vegeta. However, the prince managed to blow them all away with his Ki, giving him time to jump away from the bright pink Ki ball that was headed his way. Vegeta turned around, watching the orb disperse and then turned back to Frieza, a grin forming on his face. He knew exactly what the bastard was going for – he was attempting to suspend him into a ball of Ki to try and play around with him at his leisure. But several incidents of being stuck in that godforsaken trap had smartened Vegeta up to it, allowing him to avoid it.

Vegeta zipped up to a disappointed looking Frieza and went for a kick, but the tyrant dodged it. Frieza went for a kick of his own, but Vegeta did the same. Frieza managed to land a punch to Vegeta's arm however, and then blew him back with a shockwave of Ki aimed right at his chest. Vegeta halted his flight however, and blocked the kick that came his way with his forearm. He then managed to land a swift kick to Frieza's jaw that sent the galactic emperor flying high up into the air. Giving a satisfied smirk, Vegeta raised his arm and gathered a lethal amount of Ki to his hand.

"Heads up, Frieza!"

Vegeta fired a large Ki wave that rocketed up to its intended target. However, Frieza was able to regain his bearings quick enough to retaliate with a blast of his own. The two waves of light collided and dispersed into sparks of light. Frieza's eyes widened when he saw Vegeta emerge from the smoke left in the wake of the clash. The Saiyan prince flew at Frieza like a javelin and slammed both of his fists into Frieza's gut. Frieza hissed in irritation and whipped Vegeta in the face with his tail in response. Vegeta flew to the ground and landed on his feet, and Frieza followed him.

Vegeta spat at the gravelly surface and cracked his neck. He and Frieza were even so far, but the prince was confident in his ability to come out on top. It was just a matter of bringing out his full power at the right moment.

Frieza raised his hands and began…_clapping_? Vegeta hissed through his teeth so venomously spit was coming from his mouth. He was angered by the belittling gesture, one that Frieza never ceased to do.

"I must applaud your efforts so far, Vegeta. You have done very well to keep up with me, even as I'm in my true form," Frieza praised. He let out a sigh, as if he were contemplating something. "Which is why it pains me that I have to kill you."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one saying how I shouldn't send threats unless I'm able carry them out? The only one doing any killing around here is _me_!"

Frieza shook his head, laughing as he did so. "Oh, you never cease to amuse me with your haughtiness, Vegeta. You and the rest of the Saiyan race are all the same…so obstinate; so overconfident in your abilities."

"Get on with it, Frieza! I've had just about enough of your mouth!" Vegeta hissed.

"Temper, temper, Vegeta! Patience, my prince!" Frieza replied, feigning offense. "Now, I do suspect that you're not using _all_ of your power, are you not?"

Vegeta arrogantly folded his arms over his chest and smirked. "Of course not. You'd already be dead if that were the case."

"I see…" Frieza replied. "Well then, taking that into account, you still can't win."

Vegeta frowned. "Oh, is that so? And what presumes you think something so stupid?"

Frieza raised his index finger. "You see, Vegeta, according to my calculations – and I'm going to say this in simple terms to accommodate your primitive monkey brain – if I use 50% of my max power, I could turn you into space dust."

Vegeta pulled his head back and laughed obnoxiously, as if he was just told the funniest joke he ever heard in his life. "Oh, you can't be serious, Frieza! You could _never_ defeat me by only going half-assed. And hell, even with your _full_ power, you couldn't topple the wrath of a Super Saiyan."

Frieza ignored Vegeta's remarks and spread both of his arms out, straightening his posture. "It's been a long time since I've had this much of a work-out."

Calmly, Frieza raised his Ki, watching Vegeta as he did. There was confidence radiating in Vegeta's eyes, which made Frieza chuckle in amusement. He had no idea what horrors were in store for him. Vegeta was always so assured in his abilities, and that was what was going to cost him his life.

Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu all began to shudder. "H-holy crap…do you feel that?" Krillin stammered.

"Wow, Frieza's Ki just shot up so quickly!" Tien exclaimed. "And to think, that's only _half_ of his full power!"

Vegeta remained still, although visible sweat was beginning to form on his forehead. _N-no…he _isn't_ bluffing_, he bleakly thought to himself as his eyes slowly expanded. In one quick instant, Frieza's power had skyrocketed. It increased exponentially from what it had been before. It… it…

…far exceeded even his own power.

Frieza snickered at the change in Vegeta's expression. There it was, that look he wanted to draw out of the Saiyan prince from the moment he landed on this mudball planet to exterminate him. That look of terror when he realized what his fate truly was.

"Why the long face, Vegeta? Don't tell me you're losing all of that confidence you had in spades earlier."

Vegeta defiantly huffed stood forward. So what if Frieza's new power was fearsome? He could still topple him. Vegeta had worked far too hard, and for far too long to fail now. He had spent virtually his entire life working like a slave for Frieza. Frieza, the tyrant who destroyed his planet and manipulated him like a little tool. His pride, his life, his freedom were all at stake, and he wasn't going to allow Frieza the luxury of destroying him. Vegeta was clenching his fists so tightly he was drawing blood that spilled down his fingers as he stepped forward.

"50% or not, you're still dying by my hand!" Vegeta declared, his confidence unwavering.

Frieza breathed a dramatic sigh. "Defiant to the end, I see."

It happened faster than Vegeta could see. He was punched so hard he flew into a building that was hundreds of feet away, crashing through the big, glass window and falling to the white, tiled floor. Vegeta could only lay on its surface, stunned silent. He didn't even notice the many shards of glass that were falling onto him, puncturing his skin.

_I…I didn't even see him move…!_

He might as well have been hit by some sort of invisible shockwave. One second, Frieza was in front of him, and in the next millisecond the lizard had vanished and Vegeta was rocketing into the window of a large building. _This_ was the extent of Frieza's power? Was Vegeta truly this helpless against only _half_ of Frieza's maximum power?

Frieza folded his arms over his chest and sighed in boredom. He looked over his shoulder at Tien, Krillin, and Chiaotzu, who were cowering in fear. Frieza chuckled; that _never_ got old. A primal roar suddenly cut through the air, getting Frieza's attention. The next second, a building far off in the distance exploded, and flying from its ashes was an enraged and bewildered Saiyan prince. Vegeta stopped when he was just feet across from Frieza.

"My, my, back already, I see," Frieza remarked, surveying Vegeta's appearance. There were shards of glass sticking out from his blue sleeves, and visible swelling around his jaw. He was glaring daggers at Frieza, his eyes filled with raw anger.

"Y-you…you…!" Vegeta hissed, too enraged to even find the right words. "You disgusting, repulsive bastard!"

Frieza's head jerked back and his jaw sank open, as if he were pretending to be anguished by Vegeta's words. "The _nerve_, Vegeta! To refer to me with such disparaging words! Honestly, I am truly hurt, offended even!" he rambled, not even attempting to hide the amusement on his face.

"Shut your fucking mouth, Frieza!" Vegeta seethed. He was so angry he was shuddering, years of pent-up rage coming to the surface.

"I don't particularly understand what's got you in such a hissy fit, Vegeta. Is your _legendary_ Super Saiyan power failing on you?" Frieza inquired, giving Vegeta a sideways glance.

"Shut. Up!"

Frieza snorted in amusement. "Or did it just not exist in the first place?"

Krillin was so fear-stricken he nearly dropped Yamcha. "Oh no…Vegeta's done for."

"Damn, what are we going to do now?" Tien brooded. "I doubt Gohan will do much better than Vegeta, and Goku's nowhere near as powerful as those two!"

"We're doomed," Chiaotzu reluctantly concluded.

_Oh, just great. Getting married is now _completely_ out of the picture_, Krillin bleakly thought to himself.

"SHUT UP!"

Vegeta's Ki exploded around him and he rocketed into the sky. Hi Ki continued increasing, his aura flaring out of control. The planet began shaking again, this time much more violently than before. Vegeta was letting out inhuman screams of rage. Buildings were crumbling, rocks were rising, cars were flying around, all a result of the fearsome amount of power Vegeta was harnessing. Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu could only watch in horror. Frieza lowered his arms, merely amused by what amounted to nothing more than a temper tantrum by Vegeta.

Vegeta extended both of his arms out and cuffed his hands together. A violent, bright Ki began forming around them, with sparks flaring about. Vegeta's eyes were clouded with anger, anger directed at Frieza for his power. He wanted nothing more than to blow the son of a bitch to kingdom come.

"Vegeta, what the hell are you doing with that kind of power? Are you trying to blow up the whole planet?" Krillin shouted in astonishment.

Vegeta furiously shook his head. He didn't care about that. He didn't give a damn about those stupid earthlings, or their mudball planet. He didn't care if he lived or died from the impact. _All_ Vegeta wanted to do was make Frieza pay, not only for this fight, but for the years of physical and psychological abuse he dealt to him.

"I _AM _A SUPER SAIYAN!" Vegeta indignantly bellowed.

Frieza shook his head in disappointment. _So typical_.

Vegeta grit down on his teeth so hard they were nearly crumbling. His hands were shaking as sparks of electricity surrounded them. He was going to blow Frieza to space dust with his next attack; he was sure of it. He set his onyx eyes right on the lizard tyrant.

**"FINAL FLASH!"**

Vegeta fired a massive, blue Ki wave capable of destroying many worlds. Krillin, Tien and Chiaotzu frantically flew away as the blast made its break neck approach towards the earth's surface. Frieza, however, merely lowered his arms at his sides. That blast was _very_ powerful, he deduced, and he wouldn't be able to merely just brush it off. He raised his right arm towards the blast…

A massive explosion of light occurred, almost blinding everyone within radius. Whatever buildings were still standing blew into thousands of tiny pieces of metal and stone.

When the light faded, Vegeta lowered his trembling arms, panting heavily as he did. That blast hit Frieza dead-on; he had narrowed down Frieza specifically so as not to blow up the planet, not for the sake of the earthlings, but because he was sure he wouldn't be able to survive the planet's explosion. He squinted as he tried to look through the dust down below. When it began to clear away and Vegeta saw a figure standing tall among it, his heart dropped.

_N-no…_

There he was, Frieza, standing firmly on the ground, his left hand gripping his right arm tightly. He was trembling in a mix of both astonishment and rage. That attack was _much_ more powerful than he had predicted. Frieza lowered his arm and stared down at the palm of his right hand. It was badly burned, smoke coming from the area singed by the blast. _That very nearly killed me! _He incredulously thought.

Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu couldn't believe it. "But how…? That was Vegeta's strongest attack, and he's _still_ standing!" Krillin exclaimed.

Slowly, an insurmountable amount of rage began to build in Frieza. _Never_ had someone dealt that kind of an attack to him. And not only that, but it was a fucking Saiyan monkey who did it! It was things like this that were the reason why he wanted all of them dead. Vegeta was going to pay for this with his blood.

"That simian trash…" Frieza muttered. He clenched his fists tightly as his features contorted into pure anger.

However, whatever trivial definition of pain Frieza was experiencing from the Final Flash was completely lost on Vegeta as he floated in the air. For the first time in his entire life, he was quivering in fear. He had always known that Frieza was a fearsome individual, but _this…_this was pure insanity. How the hell had he _ever_ thought that he stood a chance against this _monster_?

Vegeta's eyes began swimming in tears as Frieza made his methodical ascent towards him. That was another first. The tears had come from his complete despair over his hopelessness. As Frieza floated to him, Vegeta's life began flashing before his own eyes. His most poignant memories, such as that of his first encounter with Frieza, began flooding his head. The first time he was introduced to his lifelong comrade, Nappa. His first purge. The day he discovered Planet Vegeta had been destroyed, and his subsequent non-reaction to the news. The first day Gohan had been brought to him by Raditz; he was such a sniveling, whiny little shit back then. The day he and Gohan landed on earth after learning of Frieza's plot to have them killed. Training in preparation for _this very battle_, forming an inexplicable bond with Bulma. The birth of his son, Trunks. _All of it_, playing on a continuous loop, at random.

Frieza was now directly across from Vegeta, only a few feet away from him. Vegeta struggled to even let out a breath as his watery eyes settled on the rage that filled Frieza's. The lizard in his sleek, fourth form no longer even resembled Frieza to Vegeta. He looked less like the tyrant he had been battling thus far and more like the grim reaper. Standing across from Vegeta was his judge, his jury, and his executioner.

"That one…actually hurt…" Frieza said, his voice dangerously calm.

Vegeta tried to force back his tears, but they could only fall at a quicker pace as that frightening, enigmatic voice, one that had haunted him for years, traveled through his ears and drifted through his head. Frieza's frown turned into a full on snarl as he gave Vegeta look that spelled murder.

"IT HURT!"

Frieza rocketed at Vegeta at a frightening pace, brutally slamming his fist right into Vegeta's cheek. Vegeta didn't even attempt to defend himself from the attack, instead just floating there and letting himself take the absolutely staggering punch and falling to the ground in a heap. He didn't have the will to fight anymore – he now clearly realized that there was absolutely nothing he could do. He barely had enough time to even register the pain before Frieza zipped back down and slammed both of his feet into his stomach. Vegeta's eyes nearly bulged out of his head from the force of the attack, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Frieza stepped off of Vegeta's stomach, observing the prince with disgust. "You miserable, monkey prince. You have given me _far_ too much trouble in the past year. You and that sniveling half-breed rat are going to pay _so dearly_ for making me have to step in for myself."

Ruthlessly, Frieza whipped his tail across Vegeta's chest, cracking the plate of his armor. "I had to fucking _transform_ to take you out. Power that I haven't had to access in centuries because of your simian hide."

Frieza stomped his foot onto Vegeta's face, taking great joy out of Vegeta's muffled gasps for air. "And I don't think your feeble mind will be able to comprehend how much of a bitch it's going to be to reconstruct the army that you and your new earthling friends have _crippled_!" he ranted, grinding his feet against Vegeta's flesh.

Frieza removed his foot, studying Vegeta's face. It was a mess of dirt, blood and tears, as his eyes were barely open. He was staring Frieza in the face, practically pleading for him to stop. Frieza gave him a positively bone chilling smirk. "Come now, dear prince; do stay with me."

Frieza gingerly lifted Vegeta up by the gold strap of his armor, dragging him so that he was hanging on his feet. "Don't fret, Vegeta. You're not going to die just yet. I'm not going to give you the vindication of a quick death." Frieza shook his head. "Oh no, no, no. You see, royalty like _you_ only deserve the finest deaths imaginable."

With his unoccupied arm, Frieza dealt Vegeta an absolutely debilitating blow to his stomach. Vegeta spat out more blood, most of it flying onto Frieza's face. Frieza merely laughed, licking the lot of it up with his purple tongue. Vegeta let out several hoarse coughs as Frieza chuckled mercilessly at his helplessness. Vegeta's head sank down, but Frieza halted its descent by placing his hand on his chin. He lifted his head up, looking straight into his tear-filled, obsidian eyes.

"And unfortunately for you, my definition of a _fine_ death is one that is agonizingly slow, one that draws out the pain for as much as the recipient is willing to withstand. Oh yes, your persistence is going to be your greatest detriment in this little ordeal," Frieza darkly mused.

Frieza let go of Vegeta and punched him directly in the nose, knocking him into the nearby remains of a building. The structure didn't give away, as Vegeta instead caved into the steel while still standing. Frieza began walking towards him, but it was an _agonizingly_ slow pace. Vegeta had known from years of being treated like Frieza's plaything what was in store for him. However, this time, there would be no trips to the rejuvenation chamber. No blowing off his steam by violently purging a planet - just the cold, grizzly hand of death, delivered by the tyrant himself. Even though he would finally be free of the life of pain and humiliation, the thought didn't ease Vegeta in the slightest.

Frieza stopped his walk, observing Vegeta's weakening frame. He looked utterly defeated, almost desperate to be relieved of his pain. But that was a luxury that he would only get after thoroughly paying for his crimes. "You should have _never_ challenged me, Vegeta," Frieza chided as he slapped Vegeta across the face with his cold, white hand.

Vegeta spat out more blood as Frieza continued his ranting. "You truly are your father's son. The King, he tried _so hard_ to revolt against me, gathering all of his elites to fight, but he of course was defeated by me in the end, along with the rest of you monkeys."

Frieza viciously drove his knee into Vegeta's stomach, causing the prince to double over in agony. Frieza pushed Vegeta back into the caving of the building with his finger, doing everything he could to keep him from keeling over.

"And now, here you are, the mighty prince, among the last of your people, failing just as your father did before you. Each and every last one of you Saiyans were so terribly impudent," Frieza mused.

Vegeta lay in silence, his eyes burning from his tears. The weight of failure was slowly starting to crush him. Every word Frieza uttered only served to drive in just how _pathetic_ he truly felt. His freedom, his pride, and his power were all being stripped away from him by the same damn person. It was like his life was just a cycle; the pain he experienced would _always_ circle back to the same man, Frieza, the man who was now holding his life in his hands. How had he allowed this tyrant to basically _own_ him as his little toy?

"J-just get it on with it, you sadistic freak," Vegeta finally rasped out, trying to scrap together what little defiant pride he had left.

Frieza let out a heavy sigh of feigned disappointment. His eyes settled on an open wound in Vegeta's left shoulder, smirking at the possibilities. "You could have been _so much_ better, Vegeta. I don't think you quite understand how much it pains me to see you like this. You're almost like the son I never had. I cared for you for so many years, but you just continually spat on my efforts." Frieza dug his finger nail into the cut, causing Vegeta to bite down hard on his bottom lip to stifle the howl of agony he almost released. "But alas, a _father _can only take so much."

That statement set something off in Vegeta that he couldn't quite place. "You shut your mouth, you mi-miserable son of a bitch," he snarled, his voice weak but simmering with rotten hatred, "You are _not_ my father!"

Frieza dug his finger nail even further into Vegeta's cut, causing him to bite down so hard on his lip that he drew blood. Frieza mercifully removed the finger and drew it close to his face, observing the blood that coated it. He licked it off and let out a sigh of delight.

"Blood really does taste delightful." Frieza fixed Vegeta with a devilish grin that was swimming with mischief. "Wouldn't you agree, _son_?"

"Fuck you…!"

Frieza's eye twitched, as he was suddenly growing irritated with Vegeta's obstinacy. "Now then, I guess it's time to resume my show of terror."

Before Vegeta could even brace himself, Frieza unleashed an unholy shower of blows upon him. Vegeta had been in thousands of knock-down drag out fights in his life, and experienced almost as many beatings from Frieza. But none, of them, even combined, could even begin to compare to this. Vegeta was now openly screaming, feeling his bones crumbling with each furious blow Frieza dealt him. He was caving deeper and deeper into the stone structure, now buried several feet into it. Frieza was violently laying into him, cackling maniacally as he heard the sounds of the prince's bones crunching. One particular kick to the stomach cracked open the golden middle piece of Vegeta's armor and very nearly caused Frieza's foot to impale it. Vegeta was trying to get some semblance of breath, but it was nigh impossible from the whirlwind of pain Frieza was cascading unto him.

Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu watched the violent display from above in terror. They had to turn their heads away, as they had never in all of their years of martial arts seen such violence. Not even Tien, in his misguided path down the road of an assassin had witnessed something so sickening.

Frieza finally brought his hellish assault to a halt, allowing Vegeta to slump in the caving of the building in a pain and bloodied heap. He laughed mercilessly at Vegeta's despair, and then fisted a handful of his flame-like hair. He forcefully raised Vegeta to eye level. The prince was close to death, but still hanging on by a thread. Frieza grinned, happy over being able to convene his torture.

He dragged Vegeta away from the structure, allowing the blood from his wounds to leave a trail on the ground. As part of an amusing joke, Frieza raised Vegeta up and let go of his tight grip on his hair to allow him to attempt to stand. Much to his hilarity, Vegeta sunk down to the ground, hitting his head hard upon landing.

"I hope you see now, Vegeta, where arrogance and disloyalty leads you. Unfortunately, such a lesson can only be learned through fatalistic means."

Frieza slowly circled around Vegeta, observing him as he quivered in agony. He stopped just inches away from Vegeta's right arm.

"First, I'll make it so that you never throw another punch again," Frieza said as he raised his foot.

Vegeta let out an otherworldly scream of pain when Frieza ruthlessly slammed his foot down on his wrist. Frieza pressed down harder, his laughter growing as he watched Vegeta's hand bend unnaturally beneath the pressure of his three-toed foot. The sounds of Vegeta's wrist bones cracking were blissful to the sadistic tyrant. He looked down and laughed loudly as Vegeta's white gloves stained crimson – a bone in his wrist must have pierced through his flesh!

Vegeta buried his face in the ground, gritting his teeth tightly at the excruciating pain he felt when a bone in his wrist tore through the flesh of his arm. He didn't want to give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing him in agony again. As Vegeta let out another ragged breath, clinging to what little air he could breathe in his last moments, he could almost _feel_ death looming. It was a strangely ominous feeling, one that Vegeta had carried out on millions of occasions in his lifetime. He felt a twinge of…_guilt_. He now understood what those final moments were like…the pain, the horror, the desperate _need_ for that cold hand of fate to take them, to alleviate the despair they experienced. Vegeta so desperately wanted Frieza to get on with it, but his pride, or what little remained of it, was keeping him from pleading for it.

Frieza circled around Vegeta once more, and then crushed his other wrist as well. "Yikes, now both arms are useless. Hopefully for you, you won't be able to feel them when I _slowly_ remove them." Frieza snickered when he saw Vegeta visibly flinch at that last comment. "Oh, but don't worry, that will come much later!"

Frieza turned his head and saw something that interested him very much. Vegeta's tail – he still remembered the look of shame on Vegeta's face nine years prior when he returned from the battle with Kabnet tailless. The prince had no doubt taken extra measure to insure such a failure would never happen again.

Vegeta's stomach dropped when he felt Frieza's hand take hold of his tail. That was his only saving grace, the only thing that could even indicate that the pathetic, groveling figure lying in pain was a proud Saiyan. Was he going to die even with _that_ stripped away from him?

"P-please, don't…!" he desperately gasped.

Frieza haughtily laughed in delight. "There it is! Vegeta, the proud prince of all Saiyans, _begging_! Oh, I just _knew_ your tail would be what would make you crack!" he exclaimed, his voice now a haunting, high pitched shrill shriek.

"But I'm afraid that something as uncomely as a tail is going to have to go as well."

With a simple tug of the arm, Frieza ripped Vegeta's tail clean off. Vegeta felt a jolt of pain that seared throughout his entire body. Everything that Frieza dished out previously had been child's play. Not only was the physical cost unbearable for Vegeta, but the blow to his pride had been heavy as well. He had _nothing_. He was no longer Vegeta, just some shell of a once proud being who had been reduced to begging, waiting to finally just _die_.

Frieza nonchalantly tossed Vegeta's severed tail to the side and kicked him in the stomach, rolling him over on his back. This brought the visible agony etched across Vegeta's face to the forefront. Vegeta shut his eyes, both because he didn't want to look his assailant in the face, and because he was hoping that it would be enough to make him keel over and be free of his final moments of misery.

"Ah, Vegeta, don't die on me now! We still have a long way to go!" Frieza sadistically cackled. Frieza took a good look at Vegeta's legs and licked his lips in anticipation. He raised his arm and pointed his index finger, which began glowing with a lethal Ki.

"I think I'll nullify those knees of yours, too."

Frieza fired a beam that pierced through Vegeta's knee, eliciting a gurgled gasp of exasperated agony from the Saiyan Prince. He darkly grinned as blood spilled from his knee, and then did the same to his opposite leg. Frieza watched Vegeta's legs unnaturally jerk as he turned back to his face.

He whipped out his tail and drew it towards Vegeta's neck, slowly rubbing against its skin. Vegeta flinched at the contact, shutting his eyes more tightly. Frieza slowly coiled his tail around Vegeta's throat and effortlessly lifted him up. Vegeta's arms dangled at his sides, as if they were pieces of rubber attached to his shoulders. Frieza grinned again; all of his anger towards Vegeta had long since subsided. He remembered all of those years when he used to torture the proud prince, refraining from killing him. To do it now, on the cusp of doing just that, was strangely invigorating to the icy galactic ruler.

"It still amuses me how you ever thought you were a Super Saiyan," Frieza whispered, bringing his mouth to Vegeta's twitching ear. Vegeta weakly hissed, not wanting to deal with more of the tyrant's mental torture. He couldn't feel his arms. He couldn't feel his legs. Why couldn't this just fucking end already?

Frieza viciously slammed his fist into Vegeta's back. The Saiyan was so weak he didn't even scream, instead gasping. Frieza laughed as he did it again, tightening the grip of his tail around Vegeta's neck as he continued. Vegeta was no longer hearing Frieza's mad cackles of wicked pleasure, instead hearing something different altogether – _voices._ They were the voices of the Saiyans, those of Gohan, Kakarot, Nappa, Raditz, his father, practically every Saiyan he had ever encountered in his life. All of them chastising and criticizing him, their _prince_, for failing them, for being so weak.

Vegeta found himself recalling of the rumors that had been floating around about him when he was a child – how he was going to be the legendary Super Saiyan. All of it, every last fucking tale, was nothing but a load of bullshit. This, instead, was what he amounted to. Just another wad of chewing gum stuck to the bottom of Frieza's foot.

* * *

><p>As Goku feverishly flew over to where he felt Gohan's Ki dwindled, he felt multiple things that distressed him. First, Yamcha's Ki dropped down to nothing. Then there were the multiple earthquakes, undoubtedly connected with the massive increases of power he felt from Frieza and Vegeta. The worst part was how Frieza's Ki <em>skyrocketed<em>. It was at least 20 times bigger than before.

_How will we ever have a chance against a monster like that? _Goku wondered to himself as he looked at the area below him. He felt a nausea rising to him as he looked at the remains of the city he was floating above. So much _destruction_. He had yet to even see Frieza for his own two eyes, but he was already feeling a burning resentment towards him. That tyrant was going to pay for messing with _his_ planet.

Goku's throat ran dry when he saw two bodies lying in the middle of it all. Distinct to both of them were long, black hair, and they were both lying face down. Goku immediately recognized one of them as his son. His heart sank when he saw the trail of blood behind lying behind Gohan. The full-blooded Saiyan unconsciously clutched tightly at the brown bag in his hand. There was still one Senzu bean left, and he hoped dearly it would be enough to heal Gohan.

Goku descended down immediately looking at Gohan's battle-ridden figure. He rolled Gohan over so he was laying on his back, and had to fight back the bile rising to his throat when he saw the nasty wound in the middle of Gohan's stomach. "O-oh no…!" Goku exclaimed, praying that his son was even alive.

Goku bent down and gently lifted Gohan's head off of the ground. He dug his other hand into the brown bag and retrieved the last Senzu bean, and then forced it down Gohan's gaping mouth. Goku lifted Gohan so he was sitting up, so the bean could go down.

"Come on, son, get up," Goku willed.

After a few seconds, Gohan broke into a fit of rough coughs, making Goku sigh in relief. The half-Saiyan immediately jumped to his feet, almost shoving Goku to the floor as he did so.

"I-I'm alive…" Gohan muttered, staring at his palms. Not only was he back up and recovered from Frieza's impalement, but he felt a new, tremendous amount of power radiating with him. Even prior to his recovery, he should have been able to take Frieza even when his power increased so much, but he was so stricken with shock he couldn't fight back. Gohan turned to look at his father, who was slowly rising to his feet. He hadn't seen him since he stepped into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"You saved me, didn't you?" Gohan asked, though it was pronounced as a statement.

"Yeah, I almost thought you were a goner when I felt your Ki dwindle. Who did this to you?" Goku asked curiously, trying to contain his awe at the newfound power he was sensing from Gohan.

"It was Frieza…" Gohan mumbled as he looked at the other body a few feet away from him. _Arepa,_ Gohan said to himself as his anger towards Frieza crept up to him once more.

Goku looked in Gohan's direction, pitying the fallen body he was looking at. "It's a shame; he must have killed her, too."

Gohan clenched his fists tightly and grinded down on his teeth. He was feeling an intense bloodlust, one directed at the tyrant who took Arepa away from him. "Damn that bastard…he's going to pay for this! _All_ of this!"

"Easy, Gohan, easy," Goku said, placing his hand on Gohan's shoulder to try and help contain his rising Ki.

Gohan glanced at his father, taking his advice. He closed his eyes in concentration, looking for the Kis of Frieza and Vegeta. His eyes jolted back open when he sensed Vegeta's, which was slowly dwindling down to practically nothing.

"Oh no…Vegeta!" Gohan gasped.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" Goku worriedly asked.

"He…he's about to die!" Gohan bleakly replied. Before Goku could even open his mouth to reply, Gohan burst his Ki around him and blasted off into the direction of Vegeta's diminishing power. Goku sighed and followed him.

When they arrived at the area where Vegeta's Ki was at, the first thing Gohan and Goku noticed were Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu looking down below, nearly petrified. Goku's heart dropped when he saw the familiar body slung over Krillin's shoulder.

"Yamcha…!" he rasped out, catching the attention of the trio.

"Ah, Goku, Gohan, you're here!" Krillin said, floating towards father and son.

"Is he…?"

"Yeah," Krillin gloomily replied, already knowing he was referring to Yamcha. "Frieza got him."

Goku clenched his fists tightly at his sides, hissing through his teeth in anger. "That monster…he won't get away with this!"

Gohan ignored their grievances, instead flying down to where he saw Frieza and Vegeta. Goku and the earth warriors chased after him. Gohan's blood ran cold at the sight before him – Vegeta was locked in the grip of Frieza's tail, which was wrapped tightly around his neck. He was hanging lifelessly, although judging by his half-lidded eyes and desperate gasps for air, he was still very much alive. Blood was running down from both of his kneecaps, dripping down off of the tips of his boots. Frieza looked completely different from the person he was familiar with seeing, though his Ki had that same sinister quality.

Frieza smirked when Gohan landed in front of him. "Ah, Son Gohan, I'm surprised you're even alive!"

"Put him down, right now!" Gohan threatened, raising a shaking fist at him.

"What's wrong, mad that you're finally seeing your prince for the helpless dog that he truly is?" Frieza snickered.

When Goku landed to where Frieza, Vegeta, and Gohan were, he took a good look at the tyrant. He felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing his figure. He was much smaller than he imagined, but his look was sinister. His skin was as white as snow, and his eyes were a chilling shade of red. Behind them, Goku could see ever patch of sadistic madness that fueled the tyrant.

"You're _him_…" Goku muttered, barely able to hide the disgust in his voice.

Frieza raised an eyebrow at the new arrival. He was wearing an orange gi, and his hair…it had spikes that stuck out like a palm tree. His eyes widened when he realized just how familiar the man looked. Save for the scar on his face and paler skin, he was a spitting image of the warrior Bardock, the man that tried to combat him before he destroyed Planet Vegeta. This must have been Kakarot, the other Saiyan survivor, Bardock's youngest son…

…Gohan's father.

"I see, so _you're_ Son Gohan's father," Frieza remarked, his lips curling into a smirk. "You look just like your father, Bardock. Don't tell me you're here to mirror his foolish actions."

"That's nothing to worry about – just put Vegeta down!" Goku ordered.

Vegeta raised his trembling hand towards Gohan. "Y-you're…you're here…" he weakly gasped out, willing his voice past the blood that filled his throat.

Seeing Vegeta like that made Gohan sick to his stomach. He had never in his years seen the proud, Saiyan prince, who he looked up to as a role model for survival, look so _helpless_ before. He was at the complete mercy of Frieza, desperately clinging to what little of his life remained. It lit a fire in Gohan that he had never quite felt before.

"V-Vegeta," Gohan muttered. He shot Frieza a furious glare. "Put him down, _now_, you son of a bitch!"

Frieza gave a chuckle that made Goku shudder. He had never quite heard anything like it…his laugh was downright evil. "If you insist, my young lad."

Frieza slowly unwrapped his tail from Vegeta's neck, allowing the severely injured Vegeta to sink to the ground. Using his foot, Frieza moved Vegeta so that he was lying horizontally across from him and then kicked him over on his back, taking in his now pathetic form. Vegeta's eyes were surprisingly still open, though they looked like they were going to roll over at any second. Then, with no regard for Vegeta's injuries, or Gohan's growing rage, Frieza ruthlessly kicked Vegeta in his back, tossing him closer to Gohan and Goku.

Vegeta winced in pain, but remained awake, turning his eyes towards Gohan. He was teetering on the edge of consciousness, but he could feel an enormous new power emanating from the half-Saiyan. _Gohan…he's so much stronger than he was before…worlds stronger. He's surpassed his limits even further…is he…is he…?_

Vegeta's eyes shot back open when the realization hit him. He was so delirious that he actually laughed out loud, though it soon broke into a fit of harsh coughing. Nonetheless, this caught the attention of everyone around him.

"I-it's all over, Frieza…!" Vegeta rasped out, fighting through the nasty coughs of blood that were crippling his speaking ability. He had a mischievous grin on his face, one that was completely devoid of a shred of sanity. "Y-you…lose…!"

Frieza raised a curious eyebrow, sure that Vegeta was just spouting out ridiculous bullshit to cling to what little pride he had left. "Oh, really, Vegeta? Do tell; I'm _very _interested in what you have to say."

"D-don't…act like…you don't know what I'm talking about…" Vegeta hissed, trembling in pain as it was taking everything in his power to even speak. The Saiyan prince managed to lift his head a few inches off of the ground, when he declared:

"Gohan is a Super Saiyan!"

Gohan, Goku, and Frieza all looked at Vegeta with wide eyes. "Super…Saiyan?" Gohan weakly asked.

"Th-that's right, Frieza!" Vegeta taunted, laughing once more. "H-he's…the warrior of legend, the strongest in the universe…! The man who you fear most…!" Running purely on adrenaline, Vegeta broke into another fit of mad laughter, overjoyed at the way fate had turned. He may have completely failed against Frieza, but it gave him joy to give the bastard one last spit in the face before he perished. "Y-you're going to die here, you miserable s-son of a bi-"

Vegeta never got to complete that last statement.

A powerful, pink beam of Ki fired from Frieza's fingertip struck Vegeta and impaled him right in the left side of his chest, piercing his heart.

Gohan, Goku, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin all jerked their head towards Vegeta, watching helplessly as his head sank into the ground, moving seemingly in slow motion to Gohan's eyes. He spat out a sickeningly large amount of blood as his head tilted to the side.

"I'm disappointed in you, Vegeta. I thought you knew how much I detested fairytales."

All sets of eyes except one turned to Frieza, who was lowering his hand. Goku took a threatening step forward, his anger rising. "Frieza, how could you? Vegeta couldn't even move anymore!"

"Don't get mad at me, Saiyan," Frieza innocently replied. "He kept going on and on about that ridiculous fable and it was working my nerves. I had to silence the monkey prince permanently."

Gohan didn't seem to even register the heated standoff between his father and Frieza. He was instead staring right at the fallen prince mere feet away from him, violently convulsing in a growing puddle of his own blood. His face was an odd pallid color, and any attempt at breathing he made were only gurgling sounds that resulted in more of his blood spurting from his mouth. Gohan couldn't form a single word from his mouth, instead watching blankly as Vegeta seemed to be struggling to say something.

Vegeta's punctured heart was desperately pumping oxygen, trying to keep Vegeta alive for just a few moments. Vegeta weakly lifted his hand up towards Gohan, opening his mouth to speak. He could taste his blood endlessly rushing and spilling freely from his mouth when it sank open, staining his teeth. The only thing keeping him alive was his desire to give Gohan one final message.

"K-kid…" Vegeta choked out, oblivious to the blood running down from his nose.

Gohan snapped back to reality. Vegeta was still trying to talk to him? But why…? He should have been trying to fight his way through the attack. "V-Vegeta…please, save your strength…!" Gohan desperately pleaded.

"Br-brat…how many fucking times have I t-told you…not to talk back to me…?" Vegeta weakly sneered, somehow still seeming threatening to Gohan, even as he struggled to take a single breath. "J-just…listen…"

"Goodness gracious, Vegeta _still_ wants to talk?" Frieza groaned. "Even in death, you can't shut that monkey up."

"You li-listen, too…K-Kakarot," Vegeta directed as his eyes glazed in and out. "Th-there's something you must know…our home planet…it wasn't destroyed…b-by a meteor…"

"What? What do you mean?" Gohan shouted, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest.

"F-Frieza did it!" Vegeta declared, as tears harboring pain he held in for his entire life began filling his eyes. "H-he killed all of them…my father…all of them, even after we served at his hands and feet."

Frieza smirked maliciously, signifying his proud admittance of that feat.

Vegeta's eyes shut, but he snapped them back open by sheer willpower. He could feel his heart giving in, but it didn't mean anything to him. "H-he's scared of us, Gohan…h-he's afraid of the Super Saiyan…!" Vegeta said, trying to stifle back his growing tears of agony. "That is why…you must…destroy him! A-avenge us…!"

Gohan could only stare at Vegeta, trying to process a million things at once. He didn't want to believe any of this was happening. But he could tell from the unnatural gurgling noises, the blood that splashed from his mouth every time he spoke, that this was Vegeta's end. He couldn't believe that he and Vegeta lived a life of servitude while being lied to and manipulated the whole time.

Vegeta settled his unfocused eyes back on Gohan, using all of his remaining power to lift his hand up. "P-please…Gohan…you must defeat him…! By…by your Saiyan hand…d-destroy…him…"

Vegeta's hand fell. His eyes slid closed. His gurgling sounds ceased, and his convulsions finally stopped. He lay there, at peace at last.

"So he finally kicked the bucket, huh?"

Gohan stood still. A long time ago, when he was forced to clean up Planet Kithra's corpses and truly realized what it would take to come out on top in the survival of the fittest, he had resolved that he would toss all of his emotions to the wayside. He had carefully constructed a callous, emotionless front after that moment. That front was what was now crumbling in the face of the man he looked up to. His _father figure_ for ten years was now gone.

All Gohan could think about was everything Vegeta taught him. He was such a mean, cold-hearted bastard, but he did his best to ensure that Gohan learned the ways of survival. Through ruthless training, a little bit of coercion, and tough advice, he had helped craft Gohan into a powerful warrior. The half-Saiyan wouldn't have survived even for a minute without his guiding hand.

_"One day, we will grow strong enough to finally defeat Frieza…"_

_"Do you understand now? Why you must throw away your aversions to killing? We Saiyans grow stronger after every fight; our power is infinite. Every planet you purge, every person you kill, the closer you will get to finally extracting your revenge."_

And yet, here he was now, looking down at Vegeta's lifeless form, lying atop a puddle of his own blood. Gohan squeezed his fists so tightly his fingers cut through the fabric, puncturing his skin and drawing blood from his palms. Frieza had taken away everything from him. His sanity, a good chunk of his dignity, and now the closest thing he had to a father during his servitude under him. He had never felt such painful loss in his entire life.

"F-Frieza…y-you miserable…d-disgusting…son of a bitch!"

Gohan's body shook violently as the fire he had tried so hard to conceal for years burst to the surface. The cloudy, grey sky began darkening, violent strikes of lightning cracking through it, as if harnessing the insurmountable rage building inside of him.

"I…will…make…you…_pay_!"

A huge, golden aura exploded around Gohan, blowing back everyone around him. The ground began rumbling beneath Gohan as a rush of gold swept through his hair before disappearing just as quickly. His control was dangerously slipping by the second as Gohan released furious, animal-like hisses through his teeth. His violent shudders intensified as his Ki grew to unforeseen levels. With each breath Gohan took, he looked like he was going to explode. The wave of emotions was more than what Gohan's mind could even hold. His blood was screaming out to him with overwhelming need to tear Frieza limb from limb.

Gohan threw his head back and let out a blood-curdling scream that could be heard for miles, the fierce beast inside of him finally being released. An immense rush of power engulfed Gohan, turning his black hair and brown tail gold, and his black eyes into a vengeful teal color. It was a transformation the likes of which nobody, be it Frieza, Goku, Tien, Krillin, or Chiaotzu, had ever seen in their lives. Gohan was surrounded by a brilliant, gold aura, raging around like fire, the manifestation of the intense fury coursing through his veins.

Gohan slowly lifted his head, letting the tears that had formed in his eyes fall to the wayside. He directed his violent, teal eyes at a horror-struck Frieza. His stare alone was enough to make Frieza cower in fear for the first time in his life.

It was time for Frieza to pay for every last crime he ever committed.


	21. The Big Payback

Nobody could even form words they were so struck by awe. Gohan's new golden transformation was something they had never seen in their lives. Even Goku's short lived transformation from before had differences from this. The Ki Goku and his friends were sensing from the enraged teen was absolutely outrageous. Was _this_ the power Vegeta was talking about?

Frieza took a fearful step back in the face of the vicious teal eyes that seemed to be staring into the depths of his soul. "Wh-what is this transformation? I thought Saiyans only transformed into giant apes!" he incredulously stammered, backpedaling a few more steps.

Gohan stood there, staring Frieza down. The half-Saiyan felt almost completely reborn, as if he was another being entirely. His senses had heightened to extreme levels – he could hear and see everything so clearly. He had no idea wherever this new power came from, and frankly, he didn't give a damn. All he knew was that he was going to kill Frieza and make him pay, _now_.

Faster than any eye could see, Gohan suddenly appeared right in front of Frieza, his golden aura dangerously waving with the wind. Even Frieza, the proud galactic tyrant whose name inspired fear across the universe, shrunk when Gohan's vengeful eyes were right in front of him. Gohan curled his lips back in contempt for his former ruler, who was showing his true colors by the second.

Only a few more seconds passed by before Gohan hit Frieza with the hardest punch he had ever thrown in his life, packing eight years of anger into a single blow to the jaw that instantly rocketed Frieza hundreds of feet back. The lizard tyrant hit the ground hard, skidding dangerously as a dust obscured his figure. Gohan caught up to him instantly, warping behind him and delivering a ruthless kick to his ribs, sending Frieza right back to the spot that he punched him from.

Not even giving him a chance to rest, Gohan jumped up and then slammed both of his feet into Frieza's chest, channeling all of his newfound power into his stomps. The beast within him roared with joy as purple blood spilled from Frieza's mouth, his gurgled gasps of agony being the freshest sound Gohan had heard in years. As Frieza desperately coughed, Gohan grabbed him by the neck and roughly hauled him up before delivering a staggering shower of punches to his stomach that mirrored one of the hundreds of punishments the tyrant had given to him. Frieza was squeezing at Gohan's wrist, trying to remove the grip that he was powerless in breaking.

He was only released when Gohan rounded out his assault with a vicious kick to his stomach that knocked him upwards, sending him into one of the few buildings still standing. He hit the structure so hard it instantly exploded into thousands of pieces. Gohan was running entirely on instinct, his mind clouded by the torrent of emotions rushing into his brain. Nothing else to him mattered besides unleashing every last ounce of his fury on Frieza.

The supremely powerful half-Saiyan caught up to Frieza with amazing speed and grabbed him by his precious tail. Spinning him around at dizzying speeds, Gohan tossed Frieza high into the sky and when he phased in front of him, he grabbed his head with both of his hands and mercilessly slammed his skull into Frieza's. The last particular strike was so powerful Frieza fell onto the roof of the building below them. Gohan immediately dropped down and channeled his restless Ki into his fist. Gohan looked at his fist intently, like it was some device of destruction ready to fire off at any minute.

Gohan curled the glowing fist back and then slammed it repeatedly into Frieza's stomach. Each punch made the roof cave in ever so slightly. Within a few minutes Gohan was using both hands to viciously lay into Frieza. In any normal circumstances he would have had to stop to take a breather, but that was a far down on Gohan's list of priorities as it possibly could have been.

Finally, the roof could no longer withstand Gohan's immense power, crumbling and allowing the two fighters to fall hundreds of feet to the floors of the dark, empty building. Frieza slowly arose to his feet, but before he was even standing straight, Gohan hit him with a Ki blast that blew him right through the wall and left him sprawled out on the ground outside.

Goku's forehead was drenched in sweat as a result of what he had just seen. Gohan looked less like a person in that assault on Frieza and more like a wild animal being unleashed from its shackles after ages of entrapment. He was starting to understand just why his son and Vegeta had hated Frieza so much. Goku may not have liked senseless beatings, but there were some beings that weren't above getting them, he concluded.

Frieza was too shocked and in pain to even stand up as he watched Gohan walk out from the hole he had formed and stalk towards him. Never in his entire life had he been beaten and tossed around like someone's play thing. To make matters worse, it was by a _Saiyan_! A warrior of the contemptible, low class race of scum was giving him, ruler of a massive portion of the solar system, the beating of his life!

Gohan stopped when he was inches away from Frieza's foot, hatred shining in his eyes. He had utterly pummeled Frieza like the piece of shit he truly was, but what he had done still wasn't enough to satiate his bloodlust. Far from it, in fact. Gohan wanted to make Frieza's punishment so terrible that death would be a mercy when he was finished.

Frieza fought through the intense pain he was in to rise to a seated position. He tried to use his legs to bring himself to his feet, and soon found himself being assisted when Gohan slammed his foot right into his jaw, springing him high up into the sky. The emperor opened his eyes and almost shrieked in fear when he saw Gohan hovering above him, mere seconds after kicking him. Gohan grabbed him by his arm and leg and then slammed his white back right down onto his knee, very nearly snapping in half. With no mercy, Gohan then lowered his knee and drove his elbow into Frieza's chest, sending him spiraling back down.

Mere seconds before Frieza hit the ground, Gohan warped behind him and wrapped his furry, golden tail around his throat, locking it in a tight grip and choking away as much air from the lizard as he could. Frieza was coughing hoarsely in Gohan's grip, growing increasingly angry with how he was being toyed around with by that disgraceful appendage. In a desperate move, Frieza swung his elbow back, but Gohan effortlessly shifted out of the way, his mind sharp even with it being clouded by his radical anger.

"How does it feel, Frieza?" Gohan chided, his voice dangerously calm and even slightly deeper than before. "You know just what Vegeta was going through when you _tortured _him!"

"C-curse…you…monkey!" Frieza spat, even as Gohan's tail tightened around his neck. In a swift and brutal motion, Gohan managed to drive his right knee and elbow into both sides of Frieza, bending him unnaturally.

"This isn't over by a long shot, you hear me? I'm not going to end your pathetic life until you've paid for _every last_ scar you've brought on me!" Gohan menacingly threatened, slamming his elbow down hard on Frieza's chest as if to drive his point home.

"G-Gohan…I know you're angry, but this is too much," Goku said, now growing uncomfortable.

"I don't want to hear it, father!" Gohan sneered, not even bothering to turn around in his direction. "You don't know shit about Frieza did to me and Vegeta. This is between him and me, so you better stay the fuck out of this."

The threatening tone in Gohan's voice was all Goku needed to hear to realize that his son had turned into a warrior of rage and fury. "Okay, son," he conceded.

"You don't deserve to die quickly, Frieza," Gohan hissed as he pulled his arm back. "You brought ALL of this on yourself!" Gohan swung his arm forward and delivered a violent punch to Frieza's back, eliciting a howl of agony. "Every," Gohan punched him yet again, "Last," again, "PART!" The final punch was the strongest yet, damn near snapping Frieza's vertebrae in half.

Gohan suddenly uncoiled his tail from Frieza's throat and quickly spun him around. He then landed an uppercut to Frieza's jaw and slammed his forearm into his cheek. Gohan squeezed his fists tightly, as it had taken all of his mental discipline to keep his body under control long enough to hold Frieza still, and he had enough. Every fiber of his being was craving the action of viciously tossing Frieza around.

"Get up; you look pathetic right now," Gohan snidely remarked.

Frieza gingerly arose to his feet, his body feeling like it had been in multiple spaceship crashes. He gave Gohan a glare of pure hatred. "You despicable…disgusting…lowlife APE! I will destroy you for this!" Frieza exploded his Ki around him and recklessly charged at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan jumped out of the way and delivered a Ki blast right to Frieza's back, launching him into the air. Gohan zipped up into the sky and beat Frieza around like he was a ping pong ball, knocking him to one location, catching up to him, sending him flying again, rinse and repeat.

To the eyes of Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu, Frieza was just being shot by a gold blur, as Gohan was moving too fast for them to see. This was the same Frieza that the earthlings saw render the proud and formidable Vegeta into a quivering mass of fear. And yet now, Gohan was treating him like a chew toy.

Finally having enough, Frieza generated a shockwave with his Ki and blasted off to the ground. Gohan flew after him, so Frieza shot back up and tried to land his best elbow to his face. However, Gohan effortlessly lifted his forearm and absorbed the impact of his elbow without even so much as wincing.

Frieza floated back, his earlier fear now just giving way to snobbish anger. Letting out a roar of frustration, Frieza threw a flurry of punches Gohan's way, but the near-divine half-Saiyan was able to swat his efforts away with a nonchalant expression.

Frieza flew back, realizing that he was going nowhere trying to fight him hand-to-hand. Drawing out his finger, Frieza charged up a bright, pink energy to his hand, which Gohan didn't react to at all. From his finger, Frieza fired a beam that was not unlike the fatal blast he delivered to Vegeta. However, Gohan moved out of the way with immense speed, and just a second later moved back to where he was standing before, giving Frieza a cold stare.

Frieza growled and fired another beam, but Gohan dodged it again with the same level of ease. "Damn you!" the lizard indignantly shouted as he began firing a barrage of beams at Gohan, who was expertly evading them. Frieza stopped and doubled over, panting in exhaustion from putting out so much energy at a rapid rate. He was cursing this change of fate, not able to comprehend how much stronger Gohan had gotten. His musings were interrupted by the vitriolic, belittling laughter of Gohan. Frieza lifted his head up, settling his eyes on the devious smirk present on Gohan's face.

"So, you can destroy entire planets, yet now you can't even destroy one bratty little teenager," he snickered.

Frieza angrily stomped his foot onto the ground, leaving a crack in it. "Damn it all! If I could just land a hit, you would be as good as dead!"

Gohan's smirk widened. "Then hit me."

Frieza curled his lip back in contempt, more than willing to answer Gohan's challenge but flustered by his mocking of him. "Fine, monkey filth. Be careful what you wish for!" Frieza fired another beam, aiming this one straight at his face. Gohan made no attempt to dodge it, and it then hit him right in the chin, knocking his head back. Frieza laughed boisterously, satisfied with his victory.

"Now how about _that_, brat?"

However, his joy was effectively killed when Gohan lowered his head, staring at Frieza once more with the same patronizing grin. Aside from the trickle of blood coming from his bottom lip, he looked completely composed, as if he wasn't feeling any pain. "Just as I expected."

Frieza's jaw sank in disbelief. It took him a few seconds to even find his words before asking, _"What _are you?"

Gohan's smirk disappeared as he gave Frieza a stern glare. "I think you already know who I am. I'm the Legendary warrior, who you feared the most," Gohan began. He raised his arms and squeezed his fists tightly before exploding his beastly aura around him, making Goku and the others have to jump back. "I am a _Super Saiyan!_"

Frieza stared at Gohan with wide eyes, his mind racing in all different directions. "S-super Saiyan…? Impo-"

"Believe what you want. It doesn't matter, anyway." Gohan raised his right fist to his chin and declared, "On the honor of the Saiyan blood flowing through my veins, I will _destroy _you! For Vegeta, for Nappa, for Raditz, for my grandfather, and for every other Saiyan that was murdered in your name!"

Goku felt an unexplainable feeling of pride swelling deep within his chest. It wasn't just because of his son's power…it was something different than that. It was as if something drifting deep in the recesses of his mind was expressing great admiration for Gohan's display of Saiyan pride. Son Goku had grown to loathe the Saiyans, his people, for what one of them had done to him nine years ago. But yet now, he was starting to understand a little bit. He felt that old Saiyan pride running through him; he was honored to be witnessing such a moment.

Goku was a Saiyan; he could now fully declare that without his stomach churning.

"I see…that monkey fairytale was true after all," Frieza snorted. "But Super Saiyan or not, that won't change the universal truth that you simian beasts will _always_ be beneath me! I will still crush you, for it is _I_ who is the strongest, not y-"

"Silence."

Frieza froze. He didn't even see Gohan move behind him. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when Gohan delivered a nasty kick to the spot on Frieza's back that he had already viciously assaulted thus far. The blow launched Frieza into the sky and Gohan blasted off after him. He charged Ki to his hand again, but this time focused it into a blade. Once he caught up to Frieza, the Super Saiyan swung his arm down and sliced Frieza's tail clean in half. The lizard tyrant let out an unearthly howl of pain as he fell back down hundreds of feet.

Krillin shook his head, as his mind was stuck somewhere between complete petrification and awe. "Man, so this is a _Super _Saiyan, huh?"

"Unreal…" Tien breathlessly muttered.

Gohan dropped down to the ground, watching Frieza's halved tail flick restlessly behind him. "That was for Vegeta." Gohan walked over to Frieza and rolled him over on his back with a kick to the stomach. He slammed his foot down right on the left side of Frieza's chest. "And _that_ was for Arepa!" Gohan raised his foot and then moved it over to Frieza's mid-section. "And this is for all of those times you've tortured me!"

Gohan ruthlessly slammed his foot right down on Frieza's stomach, making him cough out mouthfuls of purple blood. For good measure, he did it again, giving a sadistic smirk when it elicited the same reaction.

The Super Saiyan folded his arms over his chest and gave Frieza a sideways glance. "It's _so becoming_ for a pitiful son of a bitch like you to grovel on the ground before me," Gohan cruelly remarked, mockingly quoting one of Frieza's favorite jeers towards him.

Gohan finally removed his foot and stepped back, watching Frieza attempt to regain his bearings with cold indifference. Frieza sat up, clutching at his stomach as he broke out into a fit of harsh coughs. "D-don't…kill me…"

A vein practically exploded out Gohan's temple. Letting out an animalistic growl, Gohan burst his golden Ki around him once more. "How DARE you ask me for _anything_! After what you've put me through, you have the _nerve_ to ask me for mercy?" Gohan curled his lips back in utter revulsion. "Look at you, you're acting like the rotten little brat you truly are!"

Gohan hissed through his teeth and took a deep breath, trying to get his unstable mind back under control. He finally resolved, "I'm not going to kill you - _now_. You deserve to suffer for much, _much_ longer than this."

"I'm not begging for my life, you simple-minded fool," Frieza spat, still reeling from Gohan's onslaught of attacks. "I'm telling you not to kill me…for I have something that may interest you."

"If you even _think_ you can get me to join forces with you or some bullshit like that, then I'll blast you to oblivion right now," Gohan sneered.

"No, not that," Frieza replied, rising to his feet. "I-I'm not using my full-power now…only half."

Gohan raised an eyebrow, not particularly believing what Frieza was telling him but nonetheless curious. "Oh, really?"

"That's right, monkey boy," Frieza snickered. Gohan menacingly advanced towards him in anger over the insult, but that didn't stop Frieza from continuing. "At my 100% full power, I will be your superior. You won't kill me, because deep down you know what I say is true."

Frieza stared into Gohan's teal eyes, reading them studiously. "I know how you Saiyans are. The only thing running through the pebble-sized brains of you uncivilized cretins is the prospect of a good fight. You _know_ you want to fight me when I'm at my absolute strongest."

Gohan stood there, mulling over Frieza's words. He was right, give or take his colorful remarks. Gohan _did_ want a challenge, now more than he ever did. The prospect of fighting Frieza at his full power was making the hairs on the back of his neck rise in anticipation. To challenge the galactic emperor, to truly test his new Super Saiyan power would be off the charts.

Gohan snorted. "Fine then, do it. Show me your true power. I want to fight the so-called, 'Strongest in the universe' and destroy him at his best."

"Man, what's Gohan doing? He should just save himself the trouble and blow Frieza to bits right now!" Krillin protested. He jerked his head back in surprise when Goku waved his hand in his face, not even turning around to face him.

"Don't, Krillin," Goku said, his voice more firm than usual. He was a Saiyan just as Gohan, and perfectly understood what was going through his son's mind. "Gohan wants to do this. He may want to make Frieza pay, but he's still a Saiyan. He wants a great fight."

Frieza squeezed his fists tightly. "You never should have thought you could defeat me! Now taste my wrath!" He burst out his Ki, creating an intense pressure wave that exploded the ground beneath them and forced the two to shoot up the air. As soon as their flight came to a halt, Frieza shot both of his arms out and cuffed them together. He then used his Ki to create a shockwave that managed to knock Gohan back several dozens of feet. The force of the attack sent Gohan crashing into the rocky surface of the ground. However, he flew back up almost the instant he landed. His armor had a crack in it around the chest plate area, and the green strap above his left shoulder had snapped open, but he was otherwise okay.

Frieza pulled his head back and laughed. "How did you like _that?_ That little attack was only me at 70%!"

Gohan wiped blood away from his lip and laughed. "Was that supposed to scare me, Frieza? I find it highly interesting that you didn't bring out your full power even when I was beating the shit out of you earlier. Is it because your body can't handle it all?"

"Enough of your impudent talk! Feast your eyes on Lord Frieza's 100% _full power_!" Frieza squared his shoulder in preparation as he thought to himself,_ I can finish this brat off in less than a minute once I'm at my full power!_

An intense, purple aura surrounded Frieza as he began pushing his power out as far as it could possibly go. With each push, Frieza's muscles expanded in size, trying to contain the rein of the tyrant's true potential coursing through his body. Violent electricity was sparking around Frieza, threatening to strike anything within its vicinity. Frieza's veins were throbbing, and the tyrant was laughing through his teeth the whole way through.

Gohan watched the display that would have been frightening to anyone besides him. It would be so easy to blow Frieza away while he was still powering up, but that wouldn't have satisfied the hybrid. He wanted to utterly _humiliate_ Frieza, and what better way to do than by toppling him when his true helplessness was beyond a shadow of a doubt?

One last rush of power hit Frieza before he released it all in one violent burst that made even Gohan stagger back. The power Frieza released was immense, almost amazing even him. It had been so long since he had to access his true strength, and it was invigorating to do so, at least. He felt completely unstoppable.

"And now…100% Frieza, at your service."

"Took you long enough," Gohan quipped. "Now then, let's get started. This is _it_, Frieza. We're gonna find out who the strongest truly is. No excuses, no complaints."

In a flash, Frieza appeared right in front of Gohan and landed a vicious punch right to his stomach. Frieza resisted the urge to break out into a fit of laughter right then and there. He was showing the monkey just where his place truly was! Just as quickly, Frieza slammed his elbow into Gohan's chin. The half-Saiyan flew backwards at great speeds from the force of the attack, and Frieza effortlessly caught up to him. The tyrant grabbed Gohan's head with both of his hands and slammed it down onto his large knee.

As Gohan protectively clutched at his nose, Frieza closed in like a shark smelling blood. He landed a staggering array of punches to Gohan's frame, cackling in satisfaction as he connected blow after blow to his body. In his full power, Frieza found it so much easier to move. He felt like the strongest being in the cosmos as he was now.

Frieza rounded off his assault with a spinning kick, but Gohan managed to catch his leg in his arms. Swinging Frieza around so he was facing him again, Gohan attempted to punch Frieza right in the face, but Frieza easily caught his arm and hauled Gohan to him, driving his knee right into his open stomach area. With Gohan doubled over in pain, Frieza clenched his fists together and smashed them onto his upper back. He attack sent Gohan into a fast descent to the earth below them, and before he could land, Frieza phased in right in front of him and landed a drop kick to his abdomen as he hung upside down in the air.

Gohan spun back up and clutched at his side, wincing in pain. Frieza triumphantly folded his arms over his broad chest and laughed haughtily at his plight. "Do you see now, brat? You never had a chance in the first place, even with your 'Super Saiyan' power! And that was just me warming up!"

Gohan's reaction to that tidbit was the exact opposite of what Frieza was expecting, making the lizard frown. Gohan chuckled at it, in fact. "A warm up, huh? Good, because after all of that hype you made about your '100% Full Power,' I was becoming a tad disappointed."

Frieza narrowed his eyes dangerously, beyond irritated with having a mere Saiyan look down on him like this. "I'll teach you to fear me yet, monkey boy! I have to say, your strength _is_ impressive, truly living up to the tales of it being the strongest in the universe…except for the important fact that _I_ am around!"

"All you're doing is talking, Frieza. I have yet to see you truly back it up," Gohan snarled.

Frieza raised his fists and squeezed them tightly. "Enough with your insolence, boy!"

Frieza barreled at Gohan like a football linebacker. However, Gohan matched his charge and the two met in a clash. The sheer impact of their collision made the entire _planet_ shake, causing Goku and his friends to stumble on their feet as they tried to remain standing. Goku looked off to the side and saw Vegeta's corpse still lying. Out of good nature, he walked over to him and picked him up, slinging his body over his shoulder to keep him from getting caught in the crossfire.

Gohan and Frieza flew back before rocketing at each other again, this time going into a lightning fast exchange of attacks. They were battling at amazing speeds, their punches and kicks looking like nothing but blurs to the outside lookers. Frieza blocked what was sure to be a deadly punch and attempted to use his superior size to tear Gohan's head off with a kick, but the half-Saiyan narrowly ducked out of harm's way and sprung back up, landing a hard punch to his mouth.

Gohan nailed a brutal kick to Frieza's chest that knocked him back a few feet and fired a Ki blast in attempt to further the pain. However, to his surprise, Frieza rammed through the blast and, with a swipe of his arm, sent Gohan flying downwards. Gohan hit the ground hard on his hands and knees. Already feeling Frieza's Ki shooting down on him like a missile, Gohan exploded his golden Ki around him and blasted off into the sky, narrowly avoiding Frieza's foot that slammed into the ground and caved it in.

Gohan used that as a chance to fire a significantly larger Ki blast down towards him. Frieza had to raise both of his forearms just to withstand its impact. Frieza charged through the dust that arose from the blast's dissipation and curled his arms back, appearing to be preparing to slam them both into Gohan's torso. The Super Saiyan braced himself accordingly, but Frieza suddenly phased out of sight. He reappeared right behind Gohan and before the Saiyan could turn around, slammed his leg into the base of his spine.

Frieza snickered in satisfaction, but his victory was a short one. Gohan spun back around and caught him completely off guard with a head butt, knocking him silly. As Gohan unleashed a flurry of blows whose fury could only be harnessed by his Super Saiyan power, he thought back to just what this fight meant to him. Frieza and his sycophantic cronies had gone out of his way to make him experience the worst sufferings possible. And through it all, they took away everything that he held dear. The half-Saiyan _had_ to win this, to prove to himself that he _wasn't_ anybody's toy to be played with leisurely.

While the onlookers of Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin were amazed by the battle, it was Goku who was truly in awe. He could only watch the fight above with his jaw agape, his eyes completely captivated by the two warriors. Never in all of his years had he witnessed a battle being waged on this scale before. These were two titans fighting to see who truly was deserving of the title of the strongest. It made the earth raised Saiyan's blood rise with envy – why couldn't _he_ be in a fight this amazing? He was going to have _a lot_ of training to do when this was all said and done!

Krillin noticed the captivated look on his longtime friend's face and couldn't help but laugh. "Do you want some popcorn with that, Goku? You look like a kid watching an action flick!" Goku absent-mindedly nodded, his eyes glued to the battle between his son and the tyrant.

Frieza jumped back and fired a large, purple Ki blast at Gohan, but it was swatted down to the ground, triggering a decent sized explosion. Gohan charged at Frieza and hit him with a fierce punch to the face. Growing frustrated, Frieza burst his Ki around him to blow Gohan back. He rushed towards Gohan and unleashed a wild volley of blows, which Gohan did his best to defend himself against.

However, he couldn't block the flat punch that Frieza landed squarely on his nose. He muttered a few curses under his breath as Frieza tried to follow his attack up with a kick, but managed to regain his bearings fast enough to phase out of sight when Frieza's leg was just inches away from his shoulder. Frieza looked around, trying to find any sign of Gohan.

"TAKE THIS!"

Frieza looked up above him and saw a shower of Ki blasts falling towards him. Letting out a ferocious yell, Frieza flew to the blasts head on and repelled them all with both of his hands. However, he left himself open, which was just what Gohan was hoping for. Gohan rocketed downward, his legs sticking out. The Super Saiyan violently slammed both of his feet into Frieza's shoulders, and used his immense power to drive Frieza into the ground.

The rocky surface erupted beneath them when they landed. Gohan sprang off from Frieza and flipped backwards in the air before landing on his feet. Frieza kipped up from the crater his landing had formed, looking at Gohan with a sneer of disgust.

"Don't let that little victory go to your head, you rodent." A violent, purple aura swept over Frieza, and he squatted down in an offensive position. "Regardless of what you do, it still won't change the fact that the only victor in this battle will be _ME!"_

Frieza sprung at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan answered his challenge with vigor. Lunging at each other, both powerful warriors thrust their opposing arms together, their fists meeting in a staggering clash. They opened their palms and interlocked their fingers together, and then did the same thing with their other arms. They were grinding their teeth together as they tried to use their raw strength to overtake the other. Their auras were precariously mixing together as a result of their duel, blazing in the air like a wildfire.

"Still underestimating me, lizard?" Gohan spat, his lips curling into his smirk as he clamped down on his teeth.

"Don't be absurd, you simian mongrel! Your strength doesn't match mine!" Frieza hissed, pushing his energy even further to deter Gohan's thoughts.

Gohan pushed even harder, the veins in his arms throbbing as he tried to overpower Frieza. Their shouts of power were cutting through the air as the rumbling of the ground beneath them intensified. Goku, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin jumped into the sky, Goku and Krillin holding their fallen comrades securely as they did.

It was Frieza who finally grew tired of the standoff, releasing an intense burst of Ki that forced Gohan off of him. Just seconds later, he delivered a fierce kick to Gohan's jaw that sprung him into the sky. Feeling the tide turning in his favor, Frieza engulfed himself in a bright, purple orb and shot himself up at Gohan like a torpedo.

Gohan halted his ascent and then raised his explosive Ki, prepared to combat the missile-like tyrant. His eyes billowed in astonishment, however, when Frieza accelerated his speed. Before Gohan could even lift his arms to defend himself, Frieza slammed himself into his entire torso as if he were a javelin. Frieza took it upon himself to unleash a frightening array of punches to Gohan's stomach, his arms moving like a machine gun.

Gohan felt the familiar feeling of blood rising to his esophagus as Frieza continued his assault to his gut. He was trying to get his Ki under control so he could counter Frieza, but it was far too difficult for him to do with him being beaten around so much.

Frieza phased out of sight and reappeared behind Gohan. The tyrant unleashed a devastating elbow right into Gohan's shoulder blades, the force of the attack clocking Gohan right into a pile of stone and metal that was left in the wake of the various destroyed buildings. Gohan took a brutal fall right in the middle of the pile, getting buried beneath the rocks.

"C'mon, Gohan, get up!" Goku encouraged, unconsciously clenching his fists tightly.

"That won't be happening any time soon!" Frieza raised both of his palms and channeled a destructive amount of Ki to them. Frieza released all of the power in the form of hundreds of blasts that rocked the ground with an excruciating amount of explosions. The eruption of dust and smoke forced Goku and the others to shield their eyes while coughing hoarsely.

Frieza was firing enough blasts to reduce Gohan to jelly and then some. The galactic overlord didn't care if he was going overboard – this was his retribution for that monkey filth having the gall to try and humiliate him, _Frieza_, the strongest being in all of the goddamn universe. Okay, sure, his father and Cooler were stronger than him, but still.

Frieza finally stopped himself when he figured he was putting out too much energy, panting heavily as he decided to catch a breather. However, in between his gasps of air was laughter, which was growing in volume and shrillness. As his eyes settled on the smoke that was blowing from the wreckage where Gohan assuredly _used_ to be, Frieza felt an immense sense of victory. He did it!

"Take THAT, you filthy, despicable, bratty _ape! _You were a fool to think you could contend with me!" Frieza cackled, his voice booming triumphantly through the sky. "I hope you and Vegeta both brood over your failures in hell!"

Goku felt his heart drop. He couldn't sense his son's Ki at all. What if Frieza _did_ kill him with that last attack? What was he going to do now? Nobody would be able to contend with Frieza now. Goku began contemplating whether he should use _that_ technique – the Spirit Bomb. It was a risky gamble, but it may have been his only option.

"Is Frieza invincible or something? Not even Gohan could defeat him, and he's a Super Saiyan!" Krillin whimpered. He turned to his oldest friend. "What the hell are we gonna do, Goku?"

Goku was about to open his mouth to reply, until he saw Frieza methodically floating down to him. Goku tensely squared his shoulders, prepared to defend himself even if his efforts were completely worthless. Frieza stopped when he was at the same level as Goku, folding his arms over his chest and fixing Goku and his allies with a cold smirk.

"Well now, how does the old saying go? 'The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree?'" Frieza darkly mused out loud, his sinister red eyes directed at Goku. "Now that Gohan has been taken care of, there is only one Saiyan left for me to destroy before the universe is at last cleared of you detestable vermin."

Goku clamped down hard on his jaw as he protectively floated backwards. Krillin was stammering in fear, while Tien and Chiaotzu made their best attempts to appear firm. Frieza chuckled in sadistic anticipation of an incoming kill. "And unfortunately, that last Saiyan is _you_. I honestly have no idea how you managed to slip under the rug, but at least I now have the opportunity to rectify that act of sloppiness."

Frieza raised his hand, which was glowing with a purple light. "Hopefully, I can produce that same look of fear on you that your father had right before I blew him and your home planet away."

Frieza fired a deadly blast right at the full-blooded Saiyan. Goku exploded red Ki around him, using a Kaio-ken to amplify his speed to allow him to get out of the blast's trajectory fast enough. Goku flew down several feet, trying to get away from Frieza as fast as he could. However, Frieza rocketed down to him at tremendous speed. Goku braced himself for a deadly impact, until he and everyone else heard it.

A great explosion went off where the pile of buildings lay. As the thick clouds of smoke arose into the atmosphere, another figure rose with them. Even with the smoke obscuring his body, the golden light engulfing him could be seen clearly.

Son Gohan emerged from the smoke, looking at Frieza with a menacing glare. The damage from Frieza's attack was showing in his appearance, as almost the entirety of the left chest plate his armor was destroyed, and his body suit was racked with cuts and tears. His face was painted with new bruises and cuts. Gohan brushed his golden bangs away from his eyes, giving Frieza his full attention.

"Did you really think so little of me, Frieza? That was far from enough," Gohan sneered.

Goku and the earthlings breathed sighs of relief, though Frieza was fuming. "Dammit, he truly is tough!" he bleakly muttered to himself. "Fine then, monkey! I'm just going to have to grind you to pieces the way I did to your precious little prince!"

Gohan's eye twitched as Frieza's words drifted his mind back over to what triggered this legendary transformation in the first place. Gohan released a deafening scream as a tremendous surge of power rushed to him.

"The way you did to the prince, huh?" Gohan shouted, his tone dangerously fluctuating. "You're going to pay for what you did to Vegeta with your blood, you son of a bitch!" Gohan brought his power under control and looked at Frieza with dangerously narrowed eyes. "I will show you the wrath of every last Saiyan you killed."

"Look at you, Mr. Proud Avenger," Frieza snidely remarked. "I said it to Vegeta, and I'll say it to you as well – you Saiyans are all the same! So hopelessly obstinate; you're going to harness all of the anger of your dead race, huh? Not even _combined_ could they touch me!"

"You're lying to yourself, Frieza," Goku said, his stomach churning in disgust. "Your bloated ego is going to be your undoing. I may have had my own fair share of disgust for the Saiyan race, but I at least share their anguish over _you_."

Frieza spun around to face Goku, threateningly bearing his teeth at him. "Do you have even the slightest idea who you're talking to, scum? Perhaps I should dispose of the last full-blood before I topple Gohan's laughable efforts."

Frieza raised his hand in preparation to fire a fatal beam to Goku's heart, but suddenly felt another gloved hand grab hold of his. Gohan was right in front of him, and for the second time, Frieza was frozen in fear. _How did he get to me so quickly?_

"Don't even think about it," Gohan warned, his voice treacherously low. "I may have watched you kill Vegeta, but I'll _die_ before I let you kill my father, too."

Goku felt an undeterminable wave of emotions creep up to him. He had thought that any sort of bond he had with his son was lost, thrown to the wayside by Gohan's radical shift in character. Gohan had looked at him with callous disregard when they reunited eleven months ago, but now he was openly defending him, holding his life in high regard. It was a pleasant feeling to Goku to know that his son still cared.

Frieza tried to relinquish his hand from Gohan's grip, but it was iron tight. He ended up being recklessly thrust forward, however, and was knocked down hundreds of feet when Gohan rocked his jaw with a devastating punch.

"You insolent little…!" Frieza hissed as he slowly stood to his feet. When he stood straight and looked up, Gohan was already standing a couple of yards across from him.

"Let's finish this fight, Frieza," Gohan commanded. "Your death is at hand."

"I could say the same to you," Frieza shot back, furrowing his brows. "You really are set on seeing this battle to the end. Well, I shall oblige; you will be begging for mercy by the time I unleash the killing blow."

"Enough," Gohan sneered as he squared his shoulders for battle. The tension in the air was thick, as Gohan and Frieza fixed each other with piercing stares. There was just as much tension among Goku and his friends as they watched their standoff intently. Their fates were just as much at stake in this final showdown.

Just seconds later, Frieza shot up to him and slammed his shoulder right into his chest. However, Gohan answered his beckoning just as violently, slamming the full force of his knee into Frieza's jaw. All bets were off now, as Gohan and Frieza were unleashing their strongest strikes to crush each other's will power.

Frieza tried to tear Gohan's head off with a vicious punch, but the Super Saiyan ducked out of it in the nick of time and, with his body crouched, landed an excruciating punch right to Frieza's stomach. Frieza hacked up a mouthful of purple blood from the force. He quickly recovered, however, and slammed his elbow right atop Gohan's head. He finished the assault with a kick to Gohan's mid-section.

Gohan flew backwards into the standing remains of a building, but was in enough control of his flight that he was able to hit the wall feet first and spring off of it. He leapt at Frieza and twisted his body so that he could aim a vicious kick to his skull, but Frieza caught his foot. Gohan used Frieza's hold as leverage, however, and then nailed Frieza in the temple with his other foot.

Frieza hit the ground and skidded to a halt. "Goddammit," he cursed to himself as he rolled over on his back and lifted himself up to one knee. His head jerked back in surprise just seconds after he lifted it up to see what was ahead. Gohan was right in front of him, his eyes fierce and his golden aura waving like a violent flame around him.

Frieza sprung up to attack Gohan, but the Super Saiyan swiftly kicked him right in his sternum to knock him flat. Frieza angrily growled before springing back up and attempting to nail a surprise punch to his waist. However, Gohan was a step ahead of him and blasted off into the sky.

Frieza took off after him and tried to punch him once more, but Gohan phased out of sight. When he reappeared at Frieza's left, he flopped backwards and slammed the heel of both of his boots into Frieza's cranium. Frieza grinded down on his teeth hard and swung back at Gohan, almost appearing _desperate_ in his movements. Gohan ducked the punch with ease and came up behind Frieza before driving his knee into his spine. As Frieza flew forward from the attack, Gohan fired a golden Ki blast that hit him squarely in the bruised area of his back. Frieza crashed into the ground hard, making smoke explode around him.

"Damn you!" Frieza shrieked before flying right back into the sky. He restlessly unleashed a flurry of attacks on Gohan, but the hybrid was besting his speed with ease. It was taking all of Frieza's concentration just to keep up with the golden blur of his movements. Gohan phased out of sight, causing Frieza to stumble over as his ferocious punch hit nothing but air.

Frieza felt short of breath when he spun around and glared up at Gohan. The tyrant opted to try and bring Gohan on the ropes, firing several Ki beams his way. His jaw sank in surprise, however, when Gohan dodged them all without appearing to exert any significant effort.

Frieza let out a yell of frustration and drew back his hands, purple Ki sparking around him. He fired a massive wave of light at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan answered it with a blast of his own. The two waves cancelled each other out, and almost instantly, Frieza took it upon himself to fire even _more_ blasts at Gohan. These ones were smaller in comparison, allowing Gohan to go about swatting them all away with his hands.

Frieza capitalized on Gohan's preoccupation and flew at him, looking to tear his head off with a punch. However, Gohan's attention immediately turned to him, and he managed to ruthlessly slam his forearm on Frieza's violet-patched skull before he could even thrust out his curled back arm.

Frieza hit the gravely surface of the Earth even harder than before. After staggering up to his feet, he froze, his muscles gripping with tension. The tyrant could _feel_ the heat of Gohan's aura coming up behind him. What the hell was happening? Why was that Saiyan monkey so damn fast? It was becoming increasingly more difficult to even keep up with him.

He was letting out a cry of pain when he felt the sharp, all too familiar feeling of Gohan's foot connecting with his back. Gohan hit him in the side of the head with a dizzying blow that left him eating dirt on the ground.

"Can't keep up, Frieza?"

The galactic tyrant slammed his fists into the ground in anger and jumped up to his feet, trying to intimidate Gohan with a glare that threatened bloodshed. He was fuming with barely-restrained anger. "I am going to make you suffer, you piece of simian trash! For your insolence, I am going to pay you back one hundredfold!"

Gohan spat at the ground before staring at Frieza with a calm, but still stern expression. "It's over. You can't win."

Frieza blinked in astonishment at Gohan before snarling in disgust. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's like I said before – your body can't handle your full power. You've fallen past your peak as a result of the strain and your Ki's been rapidly decreasing," he bluntly explained. "It's painfully obvious by how much I have you on the ropes."

"You cocky son of a bitch! Let's see how tough you talk when I'm crushing your skull beneath my feet!" Frieza bit back. He exploded his Ki around him and shouted, "I can never be defeated!"

"You're pathetic, Frieza. You're nothing more than a prissy, whiny little brat," Gohan venomously snorted. "Here you are, throwing a temper tantrum because you've finally met a warrior who is superior to you." The Super Saiyan's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "And to top it all off, he's just a monkey!"

Frieza stood there in shock, not wanting to believe any of Gohan's crushing words. "Y-you…you better shut your mouth and learn your place, _right now_!"

"You are nothing. Your army's been destroyed. Your _pride's_ been destroyed. You have nothing left to lean back on. The only thing left for me to do is end that pathetic thing you call a life."

Frieza fell into stunned silence, quivering in agitation. _N-no…he's wrong…I am **Frieza!** Ruler of most of this universe! Nobody outside of my clan is superior to me, much less those contemptible apes!_ "S-such…such a thing…cannot be!" Frieza reasoned out loud, making Gohan roll his eyes.

"IT CANNOT!"

Frieza released all of the Ki within him in an enraged burst. Gohan snorted in disgust over Frieza's bratty fit of anger. The tyrant blasted off high into the sky, pushing his energy even further. Gohan looked on with intrigue when Frieza lifted his arm high up above him. From his palm formed an orange orb, which began rapidly expanding in size until it resembled a massive supernova being held within his palm.

Frieza broke out into loud laughter, any trace of sanity sweeping away from the normally cordial and composed emperor. "I AM THE STRONGEST WARRIOR IN THE UNIVERSE! YOU ARE NOT MY SUPERIOR!" Frieza gave the deadly ball one last surge of energy. "LET'S SEE YOU TRY AND COUNTER THIS ONE! DODGE IT, AND THIS WHOLE PLANET WILL BLOW TO SMITHEREENS!"

Goku's heart nearly burst out of his chest. That deadly blast being held by Frieza's palm could blow up the whole planet several times over. "No…he can't…!"

"Holy shit!" Krillin exclaimed, trembling in complete fear. "Oh God…we've really pissed him off now! He's gonna blow us all into space dust!" Angry tears spilled from the diminutive warrior as he pulled his head back and shouted, "AND I'VE NEVER GOTTEN MARRIED! NOT EVEN ONCE!"

"No…it's all over…" Tien murmured.

"DIE, YOU PIECE OF SAIYAN SHIT! TAKE THIS!" Frieza fired the deadly supernova right at Gohan.

However, the Super Saiyan was the only one completely composed, even as the bomb-like blast made its descent to him. A violent gust of wind was blowing away everything in sight, various debris flying to its trajectory. But even in the face of the seeming incoming apocalypse, Gohan was confident. He could counter this blast, easy. He had a certain attack in mind, and he was going to unleash it, right now.

"Ka…me…"

Goku blinked in astonishment, his eyes darting over to his son, who was standing firm. His posture was straightened, his fists squeezed tightly at his sides. "Do it…son."

"Ha…me…"

Gohan nodded firmly to himself. This was _it_. He squatted down and curled his arms back, cuffing his hands together as the most destructive amount of Ki he had ever gathered in his life charged to them. His energy was ripping through his veins, prepared to destroy its target.

**"HAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

With a thrust of his arms, Gohan fired a massive, blue Ki wave that lit up the sky. The blast pressed collided with Frieza's and pushed through it completely. Frieza, who had been laughing maniacally just seconds earlier, was now left slack jawed, staring into the bright wave that was rapidly ascending to him, engulfing his field of vision.

"Oh shi-"

The blast slammed into him. It ripped through every last cell of the fully powered body of Frieza before reducing him into nothing but vapors.

It was over.

The smoke settled around Gohan, who was standing there, fixed in his firing position. A sudden rush of emotions hit him, the reality of the turn of events finally hitting him. His arms fell freely at his sides. His aura swept away and the golden color of his hair faded back to black, the legendary power leaving him. And with that power, left the tension that filled the fourteen-year old half-Saiyan for the vast majority if his life. A small fit of laughter crept up to him.

"I…I did it," he mumbled.

Gohan swung his head back before triumphantly screaming to the heavens, "I DID IT!"

"You did it," Goku echoed, slowly walking up to Gohan. The half-Saiyan turned around to face his father, and for the first time in over ten years, flashed a genuine smile. He did it. He avenged Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. He avenged his race. He finally won the revenge for all of the years Frieza tortured and beat him, treating him like his little doll. The goal he had set on Planet Kithra all of those years ago was now completed.

He was free at last.


	22. After the Smoke is Clear

Bulma stood in the lawn of Capsule Corp, tensely looking into the sky as if she were trying to omnisciently watch any potential fight. In the time after Vegeta and Gohan bolted off to the Lookout, several of Frieza's soldiers made their way to West City, but thankfully Krillin, Yamcha and the others showed up to rescue her and cleaned up the mess caused by the aliens. Even though she felt safe, for the last few hours she felt a pain in her heart, almost as if it were trying to tell her something. She had a bad feeling that she couldn't shake. Maybe something happened to one of the guys?

After a few minutes, Bulma could make out what appeared to be several figures flying over to her. She tensed up, not knowing whether it was her friends or more of those monsters. She breathed a sigh of relief when the figures drew in closer and she recognized a certain set of hair shaped like a palm tree.

"Hey, you guys!" Bulma shouted with a relieved grin. However, her smile slowly faded when Bulma noticed people slung over the shoulders of Goku and Krillin as they came closer…specifically the person slumped over Goku's; the armor, the clothes…it couldn't have been…

"Vegeta?" Bulma nervously asked.

Goku, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and a suddenly taller and banged up Gohan landed on the grass. Goku had a somber look on his face as he and Krillin set down the bodies of Yamcha and Vegeta. Bulma hadn't even noticed Yamcha was down too before she ran over to the fallen body of Vegeta and collapsed to her knees.

Bulma was shaking in shock as he she saw Vegeta's ragged, lifeless appearance through her blurry, tearing vision. The dried up blood staining his armor and surrounding his mouth made it obvious what had happened.

With what little presence of mind she had left, Bulma fell onto Vegeta and helplessly clutched at his lifeless head, sobbing uncontrollably. Everybody but Gohan had completely flabbergasted expressions on their faces - shouldn't she have been grieving over _Yamcha_?

Krillin stepped forward and pointed over to Yamcha. "Wait, uh, Bulma," Krillin awkwardly began, realizing that she was probably delirious and not in her right mind, "Yamcha's over there-"

"Shut up!" Gohan snapped, catching the attention of everyone not named Bulma.

Goku looked over at his son. "What's the problem? Is there a story between these two or something?"

"They have a kid together," Gohan awkwardly grumbled, his eyes settling over to the side. The pain of Vegeta's death was still fresh in his mind and he actually felt sympathetic for Bulma as he watched her grieve.

"WHAT?!" Krillin and Goku both shouted in shock.

"B-b-but how?!" Krillin asked out of confusion, trying to process what he was just told. Despite all of the crazy stuff he had experienced in his life, _that_ certainly came from the left field. "I mean…that's just _weird_! How the hell did they end up getting interested in each other?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Gohan sneered, neither caring nor wanting to know about that particular relationship.

Though the circumstances were certainly grim at the moment, Krillin knew there was something to be optimistic about. With a smile on his face, Krillin walked over to Bulma. "Hey, don't worry about it, Bulma, we'll still be able to wish him back with the Dragon Balls!"

Goku awkwardly winced as Bulma finally lifted her head up and wiped tears from her eyes. "I guess you're right."

"Krillin…" Goku said, knowing the grave falsehood of what he had just said.

Krillin turned around to question Goku, before Gohan cut in. "We won't, you idiot. Piccolo got killed, and the Dragon Balls went away with him."

"Are you serious?!" Krillin screamed. His heart dropped to his stomach as he realized that now, they wouldn't be able to repair the damage that Frieza and his men caused. Yamcha would be gone forever. He, Tien, and Chiaotzu looked like they were dealt a physical blow upon hearing the news. Bulma felt the tears quickly returning to her eyes.

However, a light bulb went off in Goku's head. "Wait a minute; it might not be hopeless just yet!"

Goku's words caught Gohan's interest. "What do you mean, father?"

Goku's expression started to perk up as he recollected an earlier encounter. "When Piccolo and I were fighting that Ginyu guy, he mentioned something about him, specifically about his home planet, Namek. He said that there were stories about mystical items on that planet that could grant wishes…they must be the Dragon Balls!"

"Holy crap, are you for real?!" Krillin exclaimed with renewed enthusiasm. "Yeah, that must be it!"

"So maybe, we could go to Planet Namek and see if they have a set of balls that we could use!" Goku concluded.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the news. He had once recalled Vegeta and Nappa discussing some story about a planet like that, but he wrote it off as a fairytale and had long since forgotten any of the details. Though he wasn't showing it, the revelation had raised his spirits a little bit.

"You idiots; do you even _know_ where the hell this 'Namek' is?" Bulma suddenly chimed in, with a painfully obvious hint of bitterness in her tone. Her grieving mood had given way to her typical anger.

Goku and Krillin slumped their shoulders in disappointment. "Damn, I guess we didn't think about that part," Krillin muttered.

"Have no fear! That's where I come in!"

Everyone looked up at the sky, startled by the voice that came in from out of nowhere. They were turning their heads in all directions to find wherever, and whatever, the source of it was. Well, everyone but Goku, anyway. He recognized that raspy, goofy voice anywhere.

"Hey, King Kai!" Goku greeted to the skies. "Were you listening to us the whole time?!"

"Yes, and first of all, I'd like to commend you all for a job well done. I for one thought Frieza was completely unbeatable, but you guys stepped up to the challenge. The power of a Super Saiyan certainly is incredible, isn't it, Gohan! You used your new power to turn _Frieza_ into _Cold_ cuts!" King Kai stopped to laugh at what he thought was a brilliant joke, snorting as he laughed.

Gohan grunted angrily at the voice's horrible sense of humor while Goku simply scratched his head and awkwardly laughed. "Good one King Kai," he lied.

"Whoa, so this is King Kai, the guy who trained you?" Krillin asked, turning to Goku.

"Yup, in the flesh! Well, not flesh, but you get the idea!" the galactic ruler said as he let out another snort-filled laugh. "Anyway, onto more pressing matters: the location of Namek…"

King Kai focused his antennae onto the specific location of Planet Namek. He was 99.5% sure Namek wasn't in his sector of the universe, so he had his work a little bit cut out for him. His antennae released a violent shock that made him stumble a bit when he finally found the world he was looking for.

"Ah, Namek. I see, the coordinates of Namek are located in 9045XY!" King Kai announced.

"9045XY?!" Bulma gasped. Before Krillin could ask her if she knew where it was, Bulma sprang back to her feet and dashed inside her house. While she was looking for whatever she ran into the house for, King Kai recollected the interesting story of Namek.

"Namek was once a beautiful planet, flourishing with life. Sadly, many centuries ago, it was hit with a very cataclysmic storm, killing off a lot of the people and plants on there. Though the conditions are headed back in the right direction…I'm not too sure if there are any survivors," King Kai explained, as he furthered his investigation.

As he told his story, Bulma returned to the scene with a remote into her hands. "Wait, does that mean there might not be any Dragon Balls?" Krillin asked as Bulma began punching some buttons on the remote.

"That might be the reason Kami ended up here in the first place," Tien pondered. "Perhaps he escaped the storm, and it happened so long ago that he just forgot all about it."

"Oh, Good!" King Kai exclaimed with glee. "The Namekians are still alive! Though there's only a couple hundred of them there, they're thriving, and growing in numbers as the years continue!"

"Excellent!" Goku replied. Gohan exhaled in relief.

Krillin was happy, but there was a lingering fear in the back of his mind. "Wait, even though there are at least people there, doesn't it scare you that it means that there's potentially a _hundred_ people like Piccolo?"

"Not to worry, the Namekians are peaceful in nature, much like Kami," King Kai reassured. "Most likely, Kami was negatively affected from witnessing the evil of men upon his arrival here on Namek, and from that negativity came Piccolo."

"That's a relief," Krillin quietly said.

"Great, so we really can revive Yamcha, Piccolo and Vegeta, and everyone else who got killed by Frieza's men!" Goku said with his typical smile on his face.

"And once again, you guys are all a bunch of optimistic _morons_!" Bulma growled, her eyes directed to her remote. "While you were all blathering, I calculated how many years it would take for us to even make it to Namek using the world's strongest fuel. Do you know how long that is?"

Goku, Krillin, and Tien exchanged clueless glances as Bulma put the calculator on display while flashing a bitter smirk, just in case they were stupid enough to question her. "It'll take 4339.25 years! Try living _that_ long!"

"Damn, how are we going to figure out how to get there?" Krillin glumly asked.

"Are you really that arrogant that you can't see anything beyond your own perspective?" Gohan harshly asked, to the surprise of everyone. Bulma gave the normally quiet and unexpressive Gohan a look that could kill even a Super Saiyan like himself, but he was unfettered. "In case you forgot, there are _thousands_ of spaceships lying around here now, made from technology that is far more advanced than this place's crap. And hell, didn't you make the other spaceship off of parts from the one father came from?"

Bulma's anger subsided when she realized just how stupid she looked. The blue-haired genius slapped her forehead in shame. "Crap, I really hadn't thought of that." Her face contorted into a goofy expression that would rival even Goku. "Well guys…we're set! We can wish our friends back to life!"

"Hooray!" Goku and Krillin both cheered as they leapt into the air. Gohan didn't join them, though he glanced at Vegeta's corpse and bitterly smirked. His mind trailed over to Arepa, who he was hoping to bring back along with him.

"So, when do you think we should start the trip?" Goku asked.

Bulma fixed Krillin with an annoyed glare, one that made the miniature warrior confused and uncomfortable. "Unfortunately, when Krillin came here earlier to fend off the aliens, he had to be a dumbass and damage the ship, so I'm gonna have to take a few days to repair it."

"Gee, it's not like I did it on purpose!" Krillin replied in his defense. He growled in annoyance and looked down at the grass and muttered under his breath, "Sure could be more grateful since I was trying to SAVE YOU and all…"

"My father and I will go to Namek; we have other business to take care of as well," Gohan announced.

"What do you mean?" Goku curiously asked.

"Frieza has both a brother and a father, both far stronger than him from what I hear," Gohan explained, drawing startled, fearful looks from the others. "Though I know for a fact that Cooler couldn't give two shits about Frieza and would probably be glad that he was dead, I'm sure he's going to find it rather peculiar that a third of the family empire has suddenly gone up in smoke. I have to get him before he comes here to inspect matters."

"Well, we could all come to help," Krillin offered.

"Don't make me laugh, this is a job only needed for us Saiyans to handle; we don't need weak scum like you," Gohan harshly scoffed, getting angered glares from Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu in response.

"Well, I guess I'll go back home to take a few days rest; I'm exhausted!" Goku said as his stomach growled. "…and hungry! Not to mention, Chi-Chi's probably worried sick about me!" Goku missed the cringe from Gohan upon hearing that particular tidbit. The wild-haired Saiyan looked over to his son. "Do you want to come along with me? It'd be a good way for you to get reaquai-"

"Please."

Gohan suddenly flew over to the Capsule Corp. building and jumped into a room. Goku looked on in confusion. "I wonder what that was about…"

"I think it has to do with Chi-Chi," Krillin mused. "The poor guy almost went psycho when she came here to find out what the scoop was on you. He hid to his room, and let's just say he had some violent things planned for me if I told her about he was there."

"I see…" Goku bleakly replied. "Well, maybe he might come around one day."

"Good luck with that," Krillin sarcastically replied. "Well, I guess I'll be heading off now. I'll come back when you guys are ready to head to space in a few days. Later guys!"

"See ya, Krillin!" Goku called out as Krillin blasted out to the sky.

"I think we'll leave, too," Tien added, gesturing towards Chiaotzu. The pint-sized fighter waved at Goku while Tien gave him a nod, which Goku responded in kind. The duo flew away as well.

Goku turned his attention back to Bulma. "Well, I'm sorry things had to turn out this way, but don't worry; we'll make sure Vegeta and Yamcha are wished back, Bulma."

Bulma gave her oldest friend a smile, grateful for his sympathy. "Thanks, Goku."

Goku gave her a cheerful nod before flying back to his house. Bulma let out an exhausted sigh and glanced over to the corpses of Yamcha and Vegeta. She felt bad, knowing that Yamcha had no idea about the "relationship" she formed with Vegeta. And speaking of him, why she let herself get worked up over the Saiyan prince was one of the bigger mysteries the universe had seen. It was quite obvious that he only cared about things revolving around himself, and made it clear that he was going to leave once the business with Frieza was over and done with. Yet seeing him dead completely broke her down.

Bulma shook her head in bewilderment and went inside, looking for two cases to keep the bodies of Vegeta and Yamcha in until they were brought back to life.

* * *

><p>Gohan was sitting atop a large building with his arms folded, observing what was going on below him with keen interest. Bulma's repair process was taking longer than usual, because people from all over the world began bombarding Capsule Corporation with requests to use their products to help begin the rebuilding process. Out of frustration, Gohan decided to burn time by seeing how legitimate these "rebuilding" efforts were.<p>

To his surprise, these humans were doing a damn good job at putting things back together. They were loading up survivors and getting them to the nearest hospitals, having professionals use different sorts of machinery to rebuild a lot of the structures that were damaged by Frieza's men, and setting up shelters for people whose homes were destroyed. The half-Saiyan had to admit, it was impressive to see the humans coming together and stabilizing everything again so quickly and efficiently. Gohan himself was responsible for hundreds of planets going into disarray, and he never imagined their people would be able to repair it all like this.

Though he didn't know the name, Gohan was in the same city where he killed Zarbon – the same exact spot, in fact. He was hoping for his morbid amusement that someone would discover the flamboyant bastard's severed head amongst the rubble, but so far no dice. The half-Saiyan was still coming to grips with the fact that this part of his life now had the book officially shut. He had no idea what he was going to do once Cooler and King Cold were taken out of the picture and everyone was revived. Truth be told, he had no interest in being a ruler like Vegeta had. At the same time, he wasn't sure if he could ever get acclimated with life on Earth.

It was a weird feeling, no longer having to live a life of servitude. He didn't have to spend his days on a base with people he hated, working for a man who he absolutely detested. He had no job, no planets to destroy, nothing. It was a foreign feeling, one that he was too young to remember the last time it had been present to him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he found something that caught his interest. One of the people he saw helping in the reconstruction of a building looked familiar. Taking a closer look, he remembered just who it was – the girl that he "saved" when he killed Zarbon. She looked positively frightened when he was fighting Zarbon, but now here she was going to work like one of the guys.

_This planet really is confusing_, Gohan thought to himself with a shrug. He still had earthlings pegged as pathetic weaklings, but even he had to admit they were good at doing the dirty work when needed, even the little girls. To his chagrin, all it made him think about was Arepa.

Little did Gohan know, the girl with pigtails actually noticed him sitting on top of the local super market. She was squinting, trying to get a good look at whoever the guy was. Soon, she recognized the long spiky hair and samurai-esque attire.

"Hey…it's you!" She called out.

Gohan hissed in annoyance, cursing his lack of secrecy. The last thing he wanted to do was interact with humans. He already had more than enough of that living with Bulma and her strange, idiotic mother. It would've been a lot smarter if he simply flew away, but he instead opted to look off to the side with his teeth grit.

Frustratingly, the girl didn't take the hint and walked in closer so she could hear him better. She glared at Gohan, folded her arms and shouted, "_Hello!_ Do you have a hearing problem or something?!"

Gohan let out a frustrated growl. It seemed like every damned female on this planet had an attitude problem and no sense of cordiality or respect. "What do you want?" he finally grit out.

The female's expression warmed up when she finally got an answer. "Oh, I just happened to notice you, and well, I don't know about you, but it's not every day you witness somebody beating the _shit_ out of some weird green guy."

_You have no idea_, Gohan said to himself. Now he really was contemplating leaving her dry and flying away, though something was keeping him where he was. The girl seemingly still wasn't satisfied with his answer and looked at Gohan with a certain level of scrutiny that made Gohan raise an eyebrow.

"How old are you, anyway?" she asked like some sort of scientist conducting an experiment.

"Fourteen," Gohan replied, making the disinterest tone in his voice clear so that maybe, just maybe, she'd be smart enough to take _that_ hint.

Instead, her face lit up upon hearing his answer. With a gasp she said, "Holy shit, you're my age! Geez, that's crazy…" Gohan rolled his eyes at her, as he remembered how pampered kids on Earth are in comparison to how he lived. Then again, there really weren't many kids in the whole universe that had to deal with what he did.

"Well anyway, the name's Videl, just in case you were interested. What's yours?"

"…"

Videl gave him another frustrated glance, losing her patience. "Okay then, since you don't feel like giving _that_ up, how the hell did you get so strong, anyway?"

"Oh, fuck this," Gohan snarled before rudely flying away. Videl angrily stomped her foot on the ground and looked to the sky with the fury of the fiercest warriors across the universe. _That little jerk, it's always the cute ones that act like assholes…wait, did I just say "cute?"_

Okay, Gohan _definitely_ couldn't see himself getting acquainted with these humans.

* * *

><p>Bulma sighed in frustration as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and leaned back against the yellow wall of the Capsule Corp. dome. <em>I thought having to look after two violent Saiyans was bad enough!<em> She lamented as she lit up a cigarette, using the few minutes she had where she wasn't busy to blow off her stress with a smoking break. Capsule Corporation was busier than it had ever been in the last five days. Yeah, sure, it was good for business and they were definitely going to see a lot of money coming from this, but in between having to take care of a screaming baby, rebuild a ship, and fill out orders for all sorts of supplies and equipment to almost _thousands _of people, the blue-haired genius felt like she didn't have any time to even breathe.

Thankfully, she had put the finishing the touches on the spaceship – that was the _simplest_ thing she was tasked with. And not that Gohan was the most high-maintenance guy, especially compared to Vegeta, but at least him deciding to fly around to buy time took him off of her hair, too.

"Ugh, Goku, why are you always late? I called you five frickin' hours ago!" Bulma grumbled. She had told him that the spaceship repairs were completed and that he and Gohan could go on the trip to space at any time. But of course, Goku was taking entirely too long to arrive.

Truth be told, she just wanted to get Vegeta and Yamcha's revival over with. She felt like she was going insane, constantly checking the pods that their bodies were contained in, the pain she felt when she saw their bodies brought back returning to her every time. To top it all off, she was completely unsure how she would explain to Yamcha the whole…_thing_… with her and Vegeta, and the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Bulma wanted to just do it so it wouldn't be on her mind anymore.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Goku flew onto the scene, damn near making Bulma jump out of her shoes. She dropped her cigarette, too. "Shit, Goku, could you give me a warning next time you do that?!"

All Goku did was scratch the back of his head and laugh like he always did, which managed to cool Bulma's temper off a little bit. "Whoops, sorry about that! Chi-Chi's was mad about how I never help her out with stuff so she made me go grocery shopping with her. Y'know, you girls sure do take a long time to buy stuff!"

"Gee, I should do that with your son," Bulma remarked, eyeing the grass in search for her cigarette.

"Oh yeah, speaking of Gohan, is he here yet? I've been keeping track of his Ki and he seems to be all over the place," Goku said, showing some concern.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him once ever since a few days ago," Bulma shrugged, pulling out another cigarette. "He probably doesn't really know what to do with himself right now. He doesn't really seem like the type of kid that can sit around idly."

Goku frowned in thought, his eyes settling to the sky. Almost on cue, he could feel Gohan's Ki approaching them at a quick pace. His son soon unceremoniously landed near the two of them.

Gohan took a deep breath and turned his attention to his father. "I felt your Ki arrive here so I assumed the spaceship was finished. Am I correct?" He directed his inquisitive look to Bulma.

"Yup," Bulma confirmed, "I enhanced the gravity while I was at it. You guys should be appreciative of my immense genius!"

Goku chuckled while Gohan rolled his eyes. "Well? Let's get on with it," Gohan demanded. He wanted to get off of the mudball as soon as possible.

"Well, let me just check up on a few things. I'll give you two the okay to control the ship once I'm finished," Bulma explained before walking over to the large, white ship in the lawn. She pressed a button to lower the huge door and ran in.

Goku glanced at his son. "So about Frieza's family…both his brother and father have an empire?"

"Correct. From what I understand, they've been in this business for centuries now. Frieza's father, King Cold, is the ruler of everything, though he has his own personal army he likes to toy with. Frieza and Cooler have their own empires as well," Gohan explained. "They both answer to their Cold, though. It's weird; evil has a structure and code, I guess."

"So if there are two whole empires, doesn't that put us in huge danger?" Goku asked, growing increasingly concerned about Earth's safety.

"I guess you could say that. Cooler and King Cold have their warriors distributed across hundreds, nay _thousands_ of planets across the universe," Gohan replied.

Goku shook his head in disbelief. "Wow…and it would definitely be a good idea to come to them first. But then we'd have to go around to a bunch of planets and start taking people out…that might take _years!_"

"Please, don't be ridiculous," Gohan scoffed. "All we have to do is cut off the head of the snake. I don't plan on wasting another ten years of my life scouring through space. All of the soldiers in their empire don't work for them because they want to; they do it because their lives are in danger otherwise. If Cooler and King Cold get taken out of the picture, the rest of the soldiers will rejoice. The servant planets will revolt and go about their usual business, and most of the warriors will fade into obscurity doing whatever they please. The sycophants and higher ranked soldiers probably will try to form a new army, but they don't have near the authority that the Cold family has. Politics will take care of them."

"Well, that definitely makes sense," Goku said, nodding in understanding.

"And if those idiots try to go after me, I'll be more than happy to kill them myself," Gohan said with a sadistic grin that made Goku a tad uncomfortable.

"How will we even go about finding those two guys, anyway?" Goku asked.

"I know a few people around the universe who could tell me," Gohan said, his anticipation at using his new power to threaten certain figures rising. "I know what sector Cooler's in, but much like Frieza, he likes to change his home base a lot."

Bulma returned from the spaceship. "Okay guys, everything's all set. I'm put in the coordinates for Planet Namek; the trip should take about two months."

"Two months, eh? Hey, we could get some good training in!" Goku excitedly remarked.

"That's why I had you come along with me," Gohan replied in a snide tone, as if the training part should have been obvious from the beginning. He was confident in his new Super Saiyan power, but he wasn't one to take risks. He knew Cooler and King Cold were going to prove to be a greater challenge than Frieza and wanted to be at his most prepared.

Bulma walked over to the father and son. It really was weird to see them together again, though the sight was completely different from that fateful day at Master Roshi's island. But sometimes, things just work out like that. Bulma shook her head and laughed. "Well, have a good trip, guys. And be safe. Remember what your job is!"

"Right!" Goku affirmed.

"Hn."

Goku walked up the ramp leading into the spaceship, and Gohan soon followed. Goku pressed a button to close the door to the ship, and enthusiastically approached the control system to send the ship into space. Gohan, on the other hand, had a pensive feeling. He was going to be spending two months with his father. It was going to be strange, living with a person who he was away from for the majority of his life. What were they going to do? Try to catch up? Or just avoid that awkward subject altogether and stick to only training?

There was only one way to find out, Gohan supposed.


	23. Namek

It had barely been a day since their trip to Namek began, and Gohan was already finding the experience of living with his father to be awkward. Goku was the exact opposite of Vegeta, as he wasn't high strung, was always in an obnoxiously good mood, and the _appetite_. Perhaps it was because good food on Frieza's base was hard to come by, but Gohan couldn't fathom how Goku could be so hungry for nearly every second of the day.

By that point, it had been a few hours since they took off, and Gohan decided to use take the opportunity for reflection. He sat on the red, tiled floor with his eyes closed, thinking about the events of the past few days. It felt like such a whirlwind. His life had already been crazy enough as it was, but the last year had enough twists and turns to easily match up with the ten years prior. What had occupied his mind the most was the power; the power of the legendary Super Saiyan form. It felt so invigorating, and hell, it was almost enough to terrify him. The only problem was, the half-Saiyan had no idea how to unleash that form again on his own accord.

As if his brain was in sync with his son's, Goku, who had been looking at the vast emptiness of space through one of the windows inside of the ship, was also thinking of the Super Saiyan power Gohan had demonstrated. It was not unlike that form he took on when he was enraged by Piccolo's sacrifice, but _far_ more fearsome.

The full-blooded Saiyan shook his head, feeling a sense of déjà vu. The last time he was in space, he was searching for the boy who was sitting only a few feet away from him. That search had failed miserably, and yet somehow, it was Gohan who came to him. Goku turned around to get a look at his son, almost still in disbelief that he was actually back. And yet, even though he was there, he still felt so far. Gohan lived most of his life independent of Goku, and he felt like he hardly knew anything about him.

Gohan opened up one of his eyes to look at his father. He could tell the man was staring a hole in him. Goku awkwardly settled his eyes to the side, but he wasn't exactly off the hook. "I can tell you've been trying to talk to me for the last hour or so. If you have anything to say, speak up."

Goku couldn't help but awkwardly laugh. His son had a demanding, cold demeanor that went far beyond his years. Goku walked away from the window and moved closer to the half-breed. "Well, we're gonna be here for a few days, and you're my son. I feel like there's so little I know about you."

Gohan raised an intrigued brow before opening up his other eye. "There's one thing you should know, and that I'm a Saiyan just like you, and I love fighting. Bulma didn't enhance this ship's gravity for nothing. So let's train."

An excited grin made its way to Goku's face. Gohan was speaking his language. "Heh, I guess that sounds good."

Gohan made his way back to his feet and strolled over to the control panel in the center of the room. He pressed a few keys to shift the room's gravity to that of 500 Gs. He didn't feel a thing, having mastered that during his 11 months of training with Vegeta. Goku on the other hand didn't exactly take well to the change in gravity, doubling over and straining himself just to keep from falling face-first to the floor. It felt like the world's largest anvil was bearing down on him.

"Hn. Is this level of gravity seriously too much for you?" Gohan chided.

Goku barely managed to lift his hands from off the ground before he gave his son a strained smile. "I-I'm not exactly used to this much gravity, y'know."

"Well you better get used to it," Gohan firmly replied. "You may be pretty decent as you are now, but you're going to need to become much stronger if you want to be a match for Cooler and his father."

"Oh, y-you don't have to worry about that," Goku shot back, weakly but with conviction. Finally managing to stand straight, Goku unleashed his Ki in order to strengthen himself up. He slowly advanced towards Gohan. Though it still felt like he was wearing shackles on his arms and legs it was definitely easier to move than before.

Without even giving Goku a chance to gather himself, Gohan flew at him and delivered a punch to the face that floored the elder Saiyan. Goku caressed his aching jaw while Gohan callously looked down at him.

"Ow! You could've at least given me a little warning!" Goku whined as his cheek started to turn red.

"Please, you should've been able to dodge that with ease," Gohan chastised. "Don't waste my time."

Goku slowly made it back to his feet. This time, he was prepared for Gohan to try and attack him again. Gohan flew at him once more, and when he swung his leg out with aim to kick him, Goku knew just the way to dodge him under the strenuous conditions.

"KAIO-KEN!"

To Gohan's alarm, red aura burst all around his father and he moved out of the way of Gohan's kick in an instant. Before Gohan could even turn around, Goku was barreling towards him with his leg cocked back as he prepared to deliver a kick to his back. The half-Saiyan was sharp enough to raise his arm to block the impact, however. Goku settled back to the floor as the aura around him faded away, while Gohan turned around to face him.

"Crafty technique you have there," Gohan remarked. "Where did you learn it?"

"It was from my training in Other World. King Kai taught it to me. The attack amplifies my speed, strength, and focus in an instant, but I can only use it in short bursts due to the strain on my body," Goku explained. He quickly threw a punch in attempt to gauge his adjustment to the ship's gravity.

"It's useful, no doubt about it," Gohan remarked, "But if we want to get through Cooler and his father, you need to go further than that."

Goku raised a curious eyebrow, not exactly sure of what Gohan was alluding to. "What do you mean?"

"I want you to become strong enough to become a Super Saiyan."

Goku's eyes billowed in surprise as his forehead dampened with sweat that was filled with both anxiety and excitement. "S-Super Saiyan…?! Are you sure we can get that done in just a week?"

"Well, we can try," Gohan bluntly replied. "I'm sure you're aware of how we Saiyans get stronger after recovering from the brink of death, right?" Goku affirmatively nodded. "Then I guess we'll go all out." Gohan was going to continue until he remembered one crucial thing – "Wait, do you have any Senzu beans or whatever the hell they're called?!"

"Oh yeah, don't worry about that," Goku reassured. "I figured training with someone like you was gonna be pretty rough, and who knows what will happen when we fight those other guys. I got a fresh set from Korin the other day, and hopefully they'll last."

"Then I guess the training will commence," Gohan declared with a smirk. Goku smirked right back and crouched into his trademark fighting stance.

It had been day four. Gohan and Goku spent the training fighting each other for almost every hour of the day. They tried to hold back a little bit to prevent the ship from being destroyed entirely, but the fights were still rather violent. Goku wasn't exactly willing to engage in the brutality, but Gohan had other ideas. Of course, recognizing his circumstances, Goku returned the fierceness.

The only problem was, no matter how much stronger Goku was getting, there was no progress as to becoming a Super Saiyan.

Gohan wasn't much of a teacher. He was just as inept at it as Vegeta had been nine years earlier. He figured that maybe he just needed to push Goku further, which was why he was currently floating near the ceiling of the space capsule with his hands pulled back as he gathered his Ki to them. Goku was staring right at him from the floor, standing in the same stance as the red aura of the Kaioken raged around him like a flame.

_This isn't enough,_ Gohan thought. If he wanted to push his father to his limits, he was going to need to transform as well. During his rare times of privacy, Gohan occupied himself with trying to rediscover the trigger to the Super Saiyan transformation. Though he hadn't had any success when he made an effort to attempt a transformation, it was when his mind drifted to other things that he realized what he needed to do. Gohan couldn't escape from dwelling on the traumatic memories of his experiences working for Frieza. The pictures of the past enraged him, not only because of his hatred of Frieza, but because of how weak and helpless he was. Once the anger grew to be too much, he spontaneously transformed, and this time Gohan made sure to remember how bring the power out.

Now, Gohan transformed again. His black pupils changed to teal while golden aura exploded around his body, his hair taking on the same color. The power of the legendary transformation was enough to make the ship tremor.

"KAAAA…MEEEEEE…"

Goku was chanting the same thing back at him. His hands were shuddering from the amount of Ki he was charging in them.

"HAAAA…MEEEEEE…"

_This better work!_ Gohan thought before firing.

"**HAAAAAAAA!"**

Father and son fired two powerful blasts at each other that met in a tremendous clash. Gohan's blast was easily overtaking that of his father's, though that didn't concern him. The power of Gohan's blast was overwhelming to Goku, who was having to pump out every last ounce of energy just to hold steady. He tried to bring his mind to somewhere deep within himself, trying to find that extra source of power, but it was no use. It seemed like no matter how hard he pushed, the power just wouldn't come to it.

Thought it annoyed him, Gohan could tell that this wasn't working. Knowing he neither wanted to kill Goku nor destroy the ship, Gohan relinquished his Ki blast. When Goku's wave spiraled towards him, Gohan drew out both of his palms and used his own Ki to create a shockwave, one that caused Goku's attack to erupt into a mere shower of light.

Goku collapsed onto one knee and furiously pounded his fist onto the hard floor. "Crap! I just…can't…" he lamented, gasping for air. "This just doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere."

Gohan hopped down to the floor and powered down to his regular state. He was just as perplexed as Goku was. To be frank, Gohan wasn't completely sure if anger was the only real trigger, or if a cheerful bastard like Goku was even capable of getting that angry. But he figured he might as well have given it a shot anywhere.

"How did _you_ do it, Gohan?" Goku asked, with just a hint of desperation in his voice. "It seemed like Vegeta's death was what caused you to fly off the handle."

"Pretty much. It's just…I'm not really sure if the same thing can happen to you," Gohan began as he sat down cross-legged on the floor. Gohan folded his arms over his chest and thoughtfully glanced at the red tiles as he went on, "Watching Frieza kill Vegeta like that filled me with vengeance. When I transformed, it was like a monster inside of me broke free."

Not realizing that he was going off on a tangent, Gohan continued, and he had Goku's full attention. "Do you want to know why Raditz decided to haul me off to join him and the others? His scouter detected a power in me that I wasn't even aware of. I was stronger than _you_."

"Are you serious?!" Goku gasped. He was almost stunned upon hearing that. "Man, that's just plain unthinkable!"

"When Vegeta and the others tried to train me, I couldn't really get strong enough to fight them unless they got me angry. Eventually, they just figured provoking me would be enough," Gohan explained as he tapped his fingers against the floor to occupy himself. He couldn't help but carry bitterness as he recalled those old times.

"What did they do?" Goku curiously asked.

"What the hell do you think?" Gohan aggressively asked, thinking that should have been obvious. He quickly turned his head away from Goku and looked down again, feeling shame from how easily he let himself snap at him.

"Oh, right. Guess I should've figured," Goku uneasily replied. He thought things over for a moment before deciding now was as good of a time as ever to seize an opportunity. "I always wanted to know…what was Raditz like?"

Gohan's head snapped back up and he gave Goku an intense look of suspicion. Was there an angle his father trying to pull? Figuring that this _was_ Goku he was talking about, he relented. Gohan settled his eyes away from Goku, looked straight at the wall and replied, "He was pathetic. He could mostly fend for himself but he was _easily_ the weakest of Vegeta, Nappa, and I."

Goku couldn't help but chuckle a little at Gohan's reply. His brother was easily the most fearsome foe he had encountered up to that point, and actually left him trembling in fear. Raditz's strength was matched by his self-assurance and arrogance. It was definitely amusing to discover that he was actually pretty low on the totem pole.

"But he _was_ resourceful. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here. He's likely dead; he put himself on the line to help me and Vegeta escape," Gohan amended.

Goku was more than taken aback by that. He would've never guessed that someone as cruel as his brother would actually sacrifice himself for Gohan. "Wow, that's actually, uh…"

"What, noble? Please; he did it because he was smart enough to know the pecking order," Gohan scoffed. "He and Nappa hated Frieza as much as I did, and knew that Vegeta and I were the only people strong enough to eventually defeat him."

"Oh, I see," Goku replied, unable to hide just a little bit of disappointment in his voice. "But if you guys hated Frieza so much, why did you work for him for so long?"

"Why do you think? We didn't have a choice because he was so much stronger than us," Gohan replied. "And it's not like you were there to break me out of it," he bitterly added. He didn't mean to sound resentful, though he was stating the truth of the situation.

Goku still felt a bit embarrassed, however. With a sigh, Goku replied, "I know it was probably rough on you, but I'm sorry. I did everything I could to try and find you. When it didn't work, we tried to use the Dragon Ba-"

"I know; Krillin told me," Gohan interjected.

Goku nodded in understanding. "When you were gone, it really hit me pretty bad. I wasn't the same for a while. I still can't believe you're back…even if you're pretty different from before. I guess I just don't get how you managed to well, fit in."

Gohan looked at his father with narrowed eyes, once again growing suspicious of any sort of ulterior motive on his parts. After a few awkward moments, he dropped whatever apprehension he had. "That's just the way things were," was his nihilistic reply.

"What do you mean?"

"The first thing Vegeta taught me was that nothing mattered anymore. You weren't there, and whether I liked it or not, I was a soldier in Frieza's army," Gohan began. Without even realizing it, he started shuddering, old memories coming back to him. "I _hated _it. I still believed in everything that you taught me. I knew that the job I had to do was horrible and I wanted nothing to do with it. But everything I learned before didn't matter anymore – instead, my only task was making sure I survived and dealing with the hand fate dealt me."

Gohan tightly squeezed his fist and let out an angry growl. "Frieza was horrible. He treated me and the rest of the Saiyans like shit. Even though Raditz brought me into the army against my will, once I started to accept how things were, he, Vegeta, and Nappa accepted me as a comrade and treated me as such. But Frieza didn't show me any respect – I was just his little toy. The only way I was going to escape him was by defeating him, and that meant taking Vegeta's approach to things. All I had to do was be patient, bide my time, and get stronger by conquering planets while pretending to be obedient to Frieza. And _that_ would only happen if I threw away my morals, because it wasn't like anybody else around me had any."

Goku gave Gohan a look of recognition. He was starting to see why Gohan did the things he did; he certainly didn't condone his behavior, but he at least had some understanding. "I can see why things turned out that way, Gohan. But you don't have to live like that anymore."

Gohan responded with a chuckle, but it was a bitter one. "You're right. There's no point in any of that. Frieza's dead and now I'm free to do whatever I want. But I'm just not sure what I'll do with myself. I've spent my whole life living one way. Heh, you know, I actually came to that conclusion a while ago, but making that decision has been far easier said than done."

"Why don't you come back home, then?" Goku suggested. "That would be a good start…not to mention, your mother misses you."

Gohan sighed as the normally hard look in his eyes gave way to one of concern. "I don't know…I-I…"

"Is Chi-Chi the problem?" Goku asked. Gohan didn't give him a reply, instead pensively staring into space. Goku took Gohan's silence as a "yes." "Gohan, if it's because you feel guilt-"

"_Guilty?!_ What the hell do I have to feel guilty of?!" Gohan suddenly snapped, catching Goku off-guard. "I was doing what I needed to in order to live. Who are you to say that I feel guilt?!"

Goku smiled at Gohan in recognition of the front he was putting on. "I'm not the brightest light bulb out there, but I'm not too sure if you really believe what you're saying. I know you've done a lot of bad things, but I can look past that, and I'm sure Chi-Chi can too. I'm not some superhero trying to act like a morality cop here."

Gohan didn't respond, but he was definitely thinking hard about what his father said. Throughout the years, he had built up a hard shell in attempt to detach himself from the violence going around in his life. Yet, there was always a voice buried deep within his mind that still questioned what he was doing. While he spent the year training on earth, his conflict grew. It seemed like the first step to actually accepting his new life of freedom was forgiving _himself_.

* * *

><p>It was day seven. There still wasn't much luck getting Goku to achieve the Super Saiyan transformation. Even though he was clearly getting stronger, he just couldn't get angry enough. But that wasn't much of a concern to Gohan anymore; if it happened, it would happen. There was no turning back at this point.<p>

Gohan was standing near the window, looking through the glass as he could see a green sphere becoming larger. He was in a fresh set of armor that he had the foresight to bring with him. Goku soon came out from the closet, wearing his typical gi (Gohan went in the closet a couple of days earlier; the bastard had seemingly a million of those things hanging up in there).

"I should've figured that planet would be green," Goku joked. Gohan predictably rolled his eyes. They had a serious task right now, how could he be so jovial? He shuddered to think about how frequently Vegeta would've chewed him out if he were there.

"_Now landing on Planet Namek," _The automated voice said from the control panel. The space capsule accelerated and made its descent to the green sphere. As it drew in closer, Gohan's focus intensified. Not just so they could get the Dragon Balls collected, but because he felt something; something that was getting bigger.

"Father, do you feel that?" Gohan asked.

Goku was confused by what his son was asking, but all of a sudden it him like a lightning bolt. "Whoa. I think I'm sensing power levels."

"Two of them."

And that wasn't the most disconcerting part – these powers felt familiar. They weren't exactly the same as the person he was thinking of, but they were certainly of the same quality. "They both feel like Frieza's…"

"What?! You don't think that's his father and brother, do you? What could they be doing on here?!" Goku asked. The hairs on the back of his neck were beginning to rise, and it wasn't really anticipation.

"It has to be," Gohan pondered. His mind was already drifting into different tactics as the ship made its landing. He didn't hear the automated voice announcing the end of the flight or Goku asking how they should go about things, instead coming up with his own plan. He knew that Cooler was significantly stronger than Frieza, but in hindsight it was likely because he was always in a form similar to the one Frieza was in when he fought him. King Cold was also in the same realm as Cooler, and he figured that even without the ability to transform, Goku would be a valuable asset.

Gohan's thoughts were interrupted when the door of the ship open as the ramp slid down. He and Goku casually flew out from the ship and observed the unique atmosphere of this new planet they were on. The sky was a light shade of green, complemented by yellow clouds. The location their ship had landed in was a valley covered in blue grass and decorated with trees. It was a relatively quiet place, synonymous with the tranquility that King claimed the Namekian people possessed.

"Huh, this is pretty much Earth in reverse," Goku remarked. He was looking at the terrain with genuine intrigue in contrast to his son's indifference. In his hand was the Dragon Radar, which he clicked the button at the top of to seek out the nearest Dragon Ball.

"It looks like a few of the balls are already gathered together…I guess someone else really is here," Goku observed. "But I wonder how they even knew of the balls on here."

Gohan walked over to his father and looked at the radar. "And the spot where they're all gathered is the same place I'm sensing those two big power levels. It's got to be them."

"I guess we had pretty convenient timing, huh?" Goku quipped.

"Hey, didn't you say that you learned of this planet's Dragon Balls by something Captain Ginyu said?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a good chance Ginyu left his scouter on, so that means Cooler or King Cold might have overheard it," Gohan explained. "Maybe they took matters into their own hands and decided to go after the Dragon Balls to get a wish; they could already be aware of Freiza's death. I suppose it's a good thing we got here now, before they gathered all seven."

Goku nodded in understanding. "I guess we don't have much time to waste then. Let's go after them."

Gohan shook his head. "No, wait. I don't want to get their attention directly. They have scouters. We won't fly to them and possibly let them detect us. Instead, we'll just sneak around and see what they're up to, and if we can, we'll get the Dragon Balls under their noses."

"But even then, we're still gonna have to fight them eventually. I mean, I don't have a problem getting into a wild goose chase, but after a while we'll just be wasting time, don't you think?" Goku argued.

"Yeah, but…" Gohan attempted to reply, but his thoughts trailed off. With a sigh, Gohan tried to think of some sort of explanation. _Ugh, Vegeta is way better at this than I am,_ Gohan said to himself.

"Whatever, let's just stick to the plan and figure things out as we go," Gohan peevishly replied before jumping into the air and springing from cliff to cliff to get to the Dragon Balls quickly. Goku shrugged and laughed. Gohan may have been different – tough and stoic, of course – but he was still a scatterbrained kid at the end of the day. Goku put the Dragon radar in his pocket and followed his son's path.

Gohan kept jumping around until he felt he was close enough to those two power levels. Looking down at the ground below, he could see what appeared to be white, spherical houses. Gohan landed atop a cliff and crouched down so he could lay low. Goku soon joined him and assumed the same position.

Gohan scanned the village and gasped when his biggest suspicion was confirmed. In the small area were several aliens who, while possessing various shapes, sizes, and in some cases shades, looked identical to Piccolo. Their clothing was identical – white pants and white shirts with vests over them. Nearly every single one of them was quivering with fear, their terrified eyes focused on two figures standing in the center with a squadron of soldiers surrounding them.

One of them was practically identical to Frieza in his first form, but was nearly three times his size. That was King Cold. And then next to him was a considerably smaller being. Unlike King Cold and Frieza, there wasn't a hint of any feminine-like traits. He was slim, his skin a shade of dark purple, and had shells covering his head and chest that almost resembled armor. That was Cooler.

"That's them, huh? They definitely look an awful lot like Frieza," Goku said.

King Cold watched the cowering Namekians with amusement as his eldest son commanded their attention. They had already collected four of the Dragon Balls on this planet in similar fashion and Cooler's routine hadn't gotten old yet.

Cooler impatiently slapped his tail against the ground with force strong enough to make dust burst around him. "I'm going to make this simple so I don't waste time – tell me where you have your Dragon Ball hidden or else I will kill each and every one of you."

Cooler's stern command made Goku gasp in horror. "He can't…! They didn't do anything to him! There's no way we can let him do it!"

"And he'll definitely go through with it, too, and quickly at that. I know how Cooler operates. Most of us soldiers actually liked Cooler for a simple reason," Gohan explained with a bit of a bitter smirk. "Unlike Frieza, he prefers to go straight to the point - no petty mind games or trickery."

"So why don't we just attack them now?" Goku restlessly asked.

"I don't have a perfect gauge on how strong they truly are. Look, we'll just have to bide our time, and if anybody gets killed, won't they be wished back if we simply asked the Dragon to bring back everybody killed by the Cold Empire?" Gohan suggested.

"But still, Gohan…I don't know if I could stand it if it gets to watching him kill the Namekians," Goku replied.

Gohan had no answer for that.

One of the older Namekians gingerly walked towards the two tyrants. Two Namekian children were standing behind his legs, covering their eyes so they wouldn't even look at the fearsome soldiers. "I don't know where the Dragon Balls are, so please leave."

Cooler merely chuckled at the elder's words. "That sounds exactly like what the elders said from the four other villages I've been to. And if you insist on keeping up this charade like them, then I'm just going to have to do what I did there – kill all of your friends until you start talking."

The Namekians were left aghast, standing frozen in fear. The elder Namekian was trembling both from shock and the fear for his own his life. "No…you wouldn't!"

Goku was shocked as well, but that quickly began to give way to anger. The Saiyan was gripping onto the blades of grass on the cliff tight enough to nearly rip them off, gradually losing control of his temper. "That monster! Who knows how many people he's killed already!"

"There might not be many Namekians left on this planet," Gohan grimly added.

"Even if you did something like that, a village elder would never comply to a monster like you!" the elder spat, still clinging to a beacon of hope.

"Well then I guess your colleagues don't possess the same stubborn resolve you have, because when we cleared the first village, the elder explained everything to me. There are seven Dragon Balls on this planet, each of them held under the protection of a village elder. A ball is only handed over to someone once they complete tests to show that they are a man of valor.

"I actually offered to take his test, but since he denied me my simple request I had to kill him, too," Cooler explained, talking as if he were merely giving a report on the weather.

The Namekians all had similar looks of disbelief and terror, distraught by how these monsters could come in and tear their planet apart. The village elder was shuddering, trying to gather a shred of composure in the face of the tyrant.

"H-how dare you!" the elder hissed through his teeth.

Cooler gave a smirk that sent chills down the spine of the elder. "I'm known around the universe for many things, but patience isn't one of them. So, will you do it the easy way, or the hard way? If you value your life, you will do the latter."

"Why should I believe you?!" the elder venomously sneered. "You are a shameless murderer, your word means nothing!"

King Cold chuckled, the sound sounding like that of a child merely enjoying a simple gag. "He _does_ have a point, son!"

"Well then I suppose now would be a terrible time for me to clumsily cough up my intent to kill you all even if you talked, huh?"

Before the elder even had a chance to react, five younger Namekians suddenly lunged at Cooler, all with the same intentions. They had nothing to lose, and weren't going to let these invaders get what they wanted without a fight. Cooler made no attempt to combat them, not even getting into a defensive stance.

These Namekians were warriors, trained thoroughly in combat. They pulled their arms back and gathered up all of the Ki within their bodies to unleash their strongest attacks, hopeful that their combined strength would be enough to kill Cooler or at least severely injure him.

A solid plan, had they been able to even fire in time.

With a technique as simple as a pair of laser beams from his eyes, Cooler incinerated the five bullheaded warriors. Hey fell to the ground one by one, and the sight was enough to nearly make the other Namekians ill. Their bodies were charred to a crisp, a grizzly testimony of the terrifying power that Cooler possessed.

Cooler gave the five bodies one glance of contempt before turning his attention back to the elder. Specifically, he was focusing on the two boys cowering behind his legs.

"Ah, I do love children. I think they'll be next," he said with a sadistic smirk.

Goku angrily growled. His mental restraint was quickly slipping away. Under no circumstances could he allow himself to let Cooler slaughter children as well.

Little did he know, Gohan was thinking the same thing. The hardened half-Saiyan didn't react much to the death of those five other fools, but the kids were a different story. It was obviously difficult to tell, but they looked no older than he was. Gohan clenched his teeth together so hard it seemed like he was trying togrind them to dust; he was trying to control the section of his mind that was relaying all of the horrible experiences he had as a child, witnessing so many atrocities. He didn't want kids around the universe to experience the things he did, much less see it happen.

And he wasn't going to let it occur now.

With no regard for whatever erratic plan he was trying to come up with, Gohan stormed down from the cliff and delivered a crushing knee right to Cooler's skull before his scouter even registered the power level he was emitting. Goku flew right down with him, standing behind Gohan with his back turned to try and ward off any sneak attacks. Cooler's soldiers all crouched into fighting positions and circled around the father & son duo. They lunged at them to try and squash them like flies at once, but with simple yells, Gohan and Goku were able to create enough force to send them skyward.

Cooler unleashed a string of angry curses as he tried to get back to his feet, irritably vaporizing one of his soldiers who were falling towards him with a blast before standing up straight. He settled his eyes on the one who had recklessly attacked him, but just as he was about to retaliate, he stopped. The momentary anger that had built up had now given way to intrigue. He recognized the armor and spiky hair almost instantly.

"Ah, well if it isn't the person who sparked this entire mess in the first place. Little Son Gohan," he remarked, his confident grin having returned. It wasn't just he who had his full attention however. "And there's a new fool, too. You look just like Bardock, the monkey who tried to thwart Frieza's destruction of planet Vegeta.

"Wait, now I remember. Not only were you likely the one who defeated Ginyu, but you must have been the Saiyan in the ship that I let go all of those years ago. Which means, you're Gohan's father," Cooler deduced. He suddenly broke out into loud laughter, confusing both Gohan and Goku. "Ah, how good is this?! I let you go because I thought of you as a careless oversight that my idiotic brother was going to have to one day deal with for himself. And it turned out to indirectly become his ultimate undoing!"

"Negligence doesn't go unpunished, does it?!" king Cold added, callously finding humor out of his own son's death.

The Namekians had no idea to make of what they just witnessed. _The younger fighter is wearing similar armor to those soldiers, but he doesn't look like he's on their side,_ the Elder thought to himself. It didn't really matter to him what his allegiance was, however, as long as they had someone who was going to try and help their people.

"Enough of that, what are you doing here and why are you after the Dragon Balls?!" Gohan demanded.

"If you must know, I overheard Ginyu talking about the stories about this planet over my scouter," Cooler replied, confirming what Gohan had guessed earlier. "After I discovered that you had defeated Frieza, I wasn't going to take any chances. I was going to gather the seven balls on this planet and wish eternal life for both myself and my father, and then come to Earth or wherever you were going to retreat to and exterminate you. But it looks like you've decided to come to us and speed up the process."

A smirk made its way to Gohan's lips as his anger gave way to confidence. "If you know about me defeating Frieza, then you must also know that I've become a Super Saiyan."

"What?!" Cooler gasped, unable to contain his surprise.

Gohan couldn't help but snicker at seeing Cooler's signature swagger fly away in only an instant.

"Don't be absurd, Saiyan. You're not going to scare me just because you've managed to delude yourself into thinking you've discovered that tall tale," Cooler refuted. He was dismissing Gohan's claim, but mostly trying to convince _himself_ that it wasn't true.

"You're the only one deluding himself," Gohan replied. A small gust began swirling around him, making his hair wave around as his smirk became borderline-sadistic. Goku stepped back, while the Namekians behind him had their eyes glued to the scene, both fearful and intrigued of what was brewing before them.

The dust and grass abruptly burst around Gohan, and the scouters of Cooler, King Cold, and their soldiers followed suit. The half-Saiyan unleashed a primal scream that pierced the green skies before a golden aura exploded from within him like a flame. His hair changed from black to gold, and his eyes faded into a lethal that had a violent glimmer within it.

The mere force of Gohan's explosive Ki was enough to make Cooler stagger back. Pure awe filled Cooler to the core, making him shudder before Gohan. _This_ was a Super Saiyan – it wasn't a frivolous legend after all. This was what his brother had feared all along.

Just a second later, Gohan was all of a sudden right above King Cold, and before Cooler had a chance to even realize what was happening, he took a swift swipe at Cooler's head, cleanly tearing it off from his shoulders. Gohan had barely even looked up before dozens of Cooler's soldiers were charging at him. It wasn't anything to concern over for the Super Saiyan, as he nonchalantly raised his hand towards them. From it came a golden wave of Ki that engulfed the warriors like a fierce blaze of fire, reducing them into nothing but vapors.

Gohan calmly floated back to the ground. "Looks like you're the only one left, Cooler."

Cooler was stunned, the only function in his body that was working at that point being the ability to stand still. This was every bit the power that was said to be the strongest in the universe, enough to kill both his brother _and _his father.

However, Cooler wasn't going to allow himself to share their fate.

Cooler shook his head to regain his composure. Soon, a confident stare had formed on his face, his eyes filled with utmost confidence. "Okay, _Super Saiyan,_ you certainly are impressive. But I suppose you don't know of a secret I possess."

Gohan raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh, and what is it?"

Cooler smirked and raised his index finger. "One time more; I can transform one time more than Frieza. Though this is my natural form, I was able to figure out something that my brother didn't, and that was how to transform even further to push my strength to levels unforeseen! You may have been able to defeat my other family member, but I assure you that you won't be able to contend with _ME!_"

"Well let's see it!" Gohan said, thrilled with the prospect of a challenge. At the same time, however, an idea was creeping up to his mind, though he wasn't sure of how far he would entertain it.

Wasting no time, Cooler began his metamorphosis. Wind exploded abounded him as his body burst out to almost twice his original size. The force of the shock wave sent the Namekians falling to the ground, and soon enough, many of them were scattering away from the scene. They wanted no part of what was sure to be a destructive battle.

Cooler sighed, settling into his extra form. This new transformation have him spikes protruding from his head, and blank, empty eyes that were as red as blood he was lusting. He was no longer the sleek, slim lizard that Gohan was familiar with before; instead, he looked like a beast, one that was ready for war.

"Prepare to die!" boomed his deepened voice.

Gohan was impressed by Cooler's fearsome new transformation, but not intimidated in the least bit. When the monstrous lizard charged towards him, Gohan followed suit. When their fists met, the shockwave that surged from their clash nearly leveled the houses within the village. Even Goku was having to concentrate to remain on his feet.

Nobody could even see the warriors move, but the sheer intensity of their exchange of blows could be felt piercing through the air. The sounds were nearly deafening, each clash nearly making the entire planet violently shudder.

Cooler landed the first strike, appearing behind Gohan and delivered a vicious kick to his spine. Gohan wasn't fazed at all, however, because he swung around to look him in the eyes and brutally slammed his fist into Cooler's face, the impact of the blow sending Cooler in a spiral to the ground.

Gohan was tenacious, rocketing down towards Cooler and was prepared to nearly squash him with his feet until Cooler sprung back up and leveled him with a swipe of his forearm. Gohan could feel his ears ringing blaringly loud as a siren. However, he shook off the attack and jumped right back at Cooler. They engaged in a blistering exchange of attacks, hitting each other with their best shots to try to gain an edge.

Cooler fired an energy blast directly at Gohan's face, though the half-Saiyan quickly deflected it away. However, he left himself wide open, and Cooler capitalizing by driving his fist directly into his stomach. Using his big advantage in height, Cooler grabbed Gohan right by his hair, locking the boy in a grip so tight it felt like his hair was going to get ripped right off from his scalp. Cooler viciously drilled his knee into Gohan's chest, nearly cracking the plate armor in the process.

Cooler pulled his arm back, ready to deliver what he thought would be a knockout blow, but Gohan caught it with his palm at the last second. With his other hand, Gohan fired a Ki blast, nearly singing Cooler's face and dropping his grip. Gohan swung his leg with intent to nearly rip his head off with a kick, but the icy tyrant latched onto his leg, squeezing it so hard that Gohan nearly lost feeling in it. Before he attacked, Cooler callously laughed at his advantage over Gohan and tossed him around like a plastic toy, finishing his counterattack off by throwing him to the ground.

Dust exploded around Gohan when he landed, and soon after Cooler was barreling down on him like a torpedo. The Super Saiyan felt like he had been in a car accident, not even aware of what was preparing to smash into him until he suddenly felt scaly, purple feet crash down onto his chest. Gohan unleashed a cry of pain – it felt like the strongest stone in the universe was dropped on him.

Cooler stepped away from Gohan and snickered. "You were foolish to try to challenge me, Super Saiyan or not."

Goku clenched his fists tightly. He could easily tell that the battle was starting to slip away from his son. He wanted to jump in and perhaps deliver a sneak attack, but he was pretty sure that was going to be a futile action. Despite how brutal things looked, however, Goku was still confident in his son's resourcefulness.

"It's time to finish this," Cooler grimly declared. He raised his arm and gathered his ki, focusing into a sharp blade that engulfed his hand. Cooler drove his hand down; Goku crouched down, fastening himself to jump in and prevent the attack. But just as Cooler was about nail the final blow, Gohan sprung back up. Cooler's arm hit nothing but the ground and caved in, leaving him helpless to defend himself from the boot that Gohan planted firmly in his face.

Gohan zipped towards Cooler and unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks to his stomach. Gohan tried to nail another blow, but Cooler swiftly turned to the side and tried to nail a knee to his face, but all he hit was forearm.

"Fool!" Cooler shouted. Gohan realized just what Cooler telegraphed with his taunt – out of the corner of his eye he saw Cooler's blade-laden arm heading right to his face. Gohan had no choice but to try and counter it by grabbing his hand. The Super Saiyan winced in pain, the heat of Cooler's ki beginning to singe the fabric of his gloves.

Goku's emotions while watching the struggle unfold was as intense as Gohan and Cooler's effort. He was silently willing Gohan on, not wanting to see his troubled son meet an end like this.

Cooler once again utilized his massive frame to impose his will upon Gohan. Exploding his Ki around him, Cooler flew down in an attempt to press Gohan against the ground. Gohan matched his force, however, though the heat from Cooler's Ki blade was slowly eating at his concentration and fortitude. He could feel his strength beginning to leave him as Cooler was overpowering him in the battle of wills. The ground beneath him was feeling closer and closer until Cooler unleashed one last burst of strength to pin him down.

"This should be a fitting end for you, boy! Say hello to my brother in hell!" Cooler exclaimed, sweating in anticipation of the kill.

Victory was in his grasp yet, however. Gohan had one last trump card, something he once picked up from Vegeta –

He spat directly into Cooler's eye.

Cooler immediately let go of Gohan and clenched at his eye, frantically trying to get Gohan's saliva from out of it. Gohan smirked and leaped back up to his feet before charging at Cooler. He swung his arm up to try and deliver an uppercut to his chin, but Cooler somehow got out of his way.

"Bad move, kid."

Cooler laughed before lunging his Ki-blade-laden arm at Gohan's stomach. The Super Saiyan's eyes widened his shock – his momentum was too much to be able to move out of the way in time. Realizing what was about to happen, Goku leapt forward. He wanted to do whatever he could to prevent the attack…

…but he was too late.

Cooler drove his blade into Gohan's plated armor, easily breaking its sturdy shell and ripping through his flesh. To Goku, it seemed like time had stalled; the mouthful of blood Gohan spat out spilled in slow motion to his eyes.

Cooler gave a cruel laugh as he removed his hand from Gohan's stomach, looking at the Saiyan blood that was coating it as a token of victory. Gohan sank to the ground. His hair faded back to its natural color of black.

Goku charged over to his son and kneeled down toward him. He didn't hear Cooler's cruel cackles from behind him, instead focusing on Gohan. He could feel his Ki rapidly dropping as his already pale face became even paler.

"Gohan, please…you've got to get up!" Goku cried, trying to slap some life into his fading son.

Gohan mustered up enough strength to open his eyes. He looked at his father's face, which was filled with distress over his condition. "F-father…"

"Gohan, you're still alive…!" Goku said, his eyes lighting up.

"I-It's…up…to…you…"

Gohan's eyes fell shut.

Cooler's laughter grew as Goku slowly stood back up straight. He figured it was time to take care of the last Saiyan and then kill all of the Namekians. However, something strange was happening to the full-blooded Saiyan, which caught his attention.

Goku's fists were clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes were locked in on the lifeless body of Gohan. His son, who was taken away from him when he was just a boy. He had given everything to look for him, to try and bring him home. Though Gohan turned out differently from what Goku wanted, it was a miracle that he returned. Goku couldn't put into words how thankful he was that his son was back with him.

"He…never had a chance…" he grit through his teeth, thinking about the obvious anguish Gohan had over all of the things he'd done. Goku wanted to give Gohan a second chance, a chance to live a peaceful life and move on, but that opportunity was just destroyed – by one of the perpetrators of what turned him into the person he became.

"You won't get away with this!"

Goku was losing control over himself. The sanity he had was slipping away, and instead, something within him was trying to take control. The explosive anger and regret was ripping itself through Goku's body, calling upon his true Saiyan nature that he tried to deny for so many years. A new power was exploding within him, one that made the Saiyan feel like he was going to lose himself completely.

A rush of golden Ki swept itself upon Goku like a storm, as he unleashed the same power that Gohan had shown before. His hair turn gold, his eyes had become teal – he was a Super Saiyan, too.

Cooler staggered back, shocked by the transformation. There was another Super Saiyan? He cursed his brother, that negligent idiot. He was the one who foolishly let some of these warriors slip away. But it was no matter; he already took care of one Super Saiyan, and he'd defeat this one, too.

Goku couldn't even grasp the power he now had. The only thing his brain was focused on was defeating the monster that killed his son. He turned around, aiming his eyes, filled with so much vengeance, right at Cooler.

"Okay, so now you want to be the next fool to die?! Fine, come at me!" Cooler challenged.

No sooner than a second later, Goku had phased in right in front of him. Cooler was sent to his knees by the staggering punch Goku had sent to his gut. Soon, a kick would send him flying into the air, and before he had a chance to regain his bearing, the torrent of Super Saiyan fury rocketed towards him. Cooler tried to raise an arm to defend himself, but the force of Goku's attacks were threatening to knock it off entirely.

Cooler managed to fly away from Goku, but the Saiyan was practically locked into his movement, giving him no time to come up with a strategy. Goku was delivering punch after punch to Cooler, the hardest ones he had ever experienced in his life. Goku brutally slammed both of his fists onto Cooler's head sending him into the dirt.

Goku flew down to the ground, waiting for Cooler to get up. The lizard leapt to his feet and tried to kick Goku right in the face, but all he hit was air. Goku somehow ended up right behind him and fired a deadly Ki blast to his back that launched him straight up into the sky.

"DAMMIT!" Cooler furiously shouted. It was a different story from Gohan – somehow, this Super Saiyan was getting the better of him. But how? He was the strongest being in the universe, far superior to his brother. A Saiyan shouldn't have been able to do this.

"That's it, I'm putting a stop to this! I'm going to blow you and this planet into space dust!" he declared. He raised one finger to the sky, prepared to create a supernova that would utterly destroy Goku, Super Saiyan or not.

Unfortunately, Goku had different plans.

He phased in right in front of Cooler, and before the beast could even get his attack off, Goku prepared one of his own. He pulled his arms back, gathering deadly Ki to release his most reliable attack.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…**HAAAAAAA!"**

Goku fired a golden, explosive Ki wave at Cooler, one that completely overwhelmed Cooler's strength. He tried to put a hand up to defend himself, but the blast was too powerful. He was disintegrated, now reduced to vapors.

Goku panted heavily as the smoke from the explosion cleared. He wasn't sure what to make of the new power he had gained. It felt like the transformation he achieved when Piccolo was killed, but several degrees more powerful. Was this the Super Saiyan transformation that Gohan had been trying to help him reach?

His thoughts were cut off when he heard something familiar. It was…_laughter?_ And that voice…

"Heh, worked like a charm…"

Goku turned around, and was left slack-jawed when he saw Gohan, who he was sure he had just seen die, was slowly standing back up, holding a blood stained arm over the wound in his stomach. He was weak, but clearly alive and breathing, giving a weak smirk on his face. The shock Goku experienced was enough to knock him right out of his enraged state.

"G-Gohan?! But how?!" Goku asked as his hair faded to black.

Gohan winced in pain and weakly laughed again. "I-I knew you just needed one last push to become a Super Saiyan…so I left myself vulnerable."

Goku raised his eyebrow, curious as to what Gohan was implying. "Wait, are you saying that you faked your death to get me angry?"

"Y-yeah I could've defeated Cooler just as easily as you did…but I must admit, I'm a little irked at how you thought an attack like that would be able to kill me," Gohan joked. He broke out into a harsh fit of coughs when he tried to laugh again.

To say Goku was confused was an understatement. However, he was happy to see that his son was alright. He was clearly worse for wear, but it was nothing a couple of senzu beans couldn't fix. Gohan sank to the ground, clutching at his stomach and panting heavily.

The Namekians who had stayed to watch the battle unfold cheered loudly and stormed over to the two Saiyans. They were yelling praises and thanks, relieved that the threat had been taken care of.

"I don't know what to say," the elder remarked. "Just…thank you. I don't know who you two are or why you're here, but I am eternally grateful that you rid us of those monsters."

Gohan gave a shrug of indifference, but Goku smiled. "It's no problem, guys," Goku said.

"And don't worry, we have someone who can heal the younger one," the elder informed. He turned towards one of the young Namekian children. "Dende?"

The kid wearing a red vest looked at the Elder and nodded. "I'll be right on it!"

Dende walked over to Gohan and kneeled in front of him. He gave the half-Saiyan a warm smile. "You'll be just fine!"

Gohan nodded as Dende raised his hand at him, releasing a glow that engulfed Gohan. The puncture wound in Gohan's stomach was closing up, and the other bumps and bruises that were covering Gohan's face soon faded as well.

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Goku remarked.

Gohan took a deep breath and rose back to his feet. He took a quick punch at the air just to gauge his strength. He turned towards Dende, who was inspecting Gohan's condition with a smile. Gohan mentally debated with himself as he looked at the Namekian and decided to do something that he hadn't done very often.

"Thank you," he said. Dende nodded.

"So, I'm curious, what brought you two to our planet?" the village elder asked. Gohan turned his head towards Goku, who laughed and shrugged.

"Oh, it's a loooong story…"

**Sorry for the wait! If this chapter appears a little rushed and sloppy, it's the rust. Sorry about that, lol. Only one chapter left, and I PROMISE it'll come in a week at the most.**


	24. Epilogue

Vegeta loudly yawned and chugged down his freshly made coffee in a matter of seconds. He was bored beyond belief. It had been exactly a week since he was suddenly given his life back. As Bulma had explained to him following a cross-galaxy phone call, Goku and Gohan had found another set of Dragon Balls on Namek. That planet's Dragon had the ability to make not one, but three wishes, but at the cost of only being able to revive one person per wish. The first wish was used to wish Piccolo back, and since he was back, so were the Earth's Dragon Balls. Kami quickly gathered that set and used them to bring back everyone who had been killed by Frieza and his men.

Which included him.

Personally, Vegeta found it foolish that the father/son duo declined to use the other two wishes for themselves, but what did he know? Besides, that couldn't have been any further from what was the most intriguing piece of information he'd learned – Gohan achieved the legendary Super Saiyan transformation - right after he died, no less – and finally conquered Frieza. That astounded him, and though he would never admit it, he was somewhat proud of the fact that the kid he personally trained and taught how to survive had avenged him.

What absolutely _infuriated_ him, however, was the fact that the low class, traitorous piece of shit by the name of Kakarot, or Goku, as he insisted on being called, had done it, too. He could slightly accept a clearly gifted prodigy like Gohan beating him to the transformation, but _that_ idiot doing it too while he was reduced to a toy for Frieza to play with and torture in his last moments? It took all of his self-restraint to keep him from killing the very first person in front of him to blow off the steam.

That meant he had to start training, and soon. Under no circumstance was he going to let himself fall behind Goku for too long. But of course, since Goku and Gohan had taken the only ship, he couldn't really get much done. Instead, here he was, sitting around and doing nothing for the first time in…God, he had to have been an infant since the last time that happened. However, he was growing increasingly restless, even though for the first time in his life he was able to be completely free of worrying about someone trying to kill him.

Just as he was about to get up and do God knows what (he had strangely become fascinated by some asinine "Reality TV Show" Bulma watched all the time involving a bunch of morons being stranded on an island), he felt two large power levels approaching the planet. His immediate instinct was to square his shoulders for battle, but that feeling passed when he realized that these were two familiar powers. Saiyans, to be exact.

Almost on cue, the sound of an engine blared from outside of the Capsule Corporation building while Bulma yelled "THEY'RE BACK!" from the living room. Vegeta gave a customary grunt and sat back down, not in the mood for some sappy reunion.

Gohan took a deep breath as he stood back up. After being incessantly pressed by Goku over the last seven days while traveling back to Earth (why didn't he just use one of those two wishes to zap himself back?), Gohan begrudgingly decided to take up his offer and return home, which meant facing his mother for the first time in nine years. He was a bit jittery, having no idea how things were going to go down. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a leftover scouter near the control deck, one he previously hadn't noticed. Probably the one Bulma had used back when she was trying to crack Frieza's location a year ago. Curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up.

The door of the ship opened, and seconds later Gohan and Goku flew out of the ship to the usual crowd of Goku's friends.

"Nice to see ya back in one piece, Goku!" Krillin said.

"You said it, it feels like I haven't been in here in ages!" Goku replied. His smile faltered pretty quickly, however. "It's a good thing we got back now, because we're all out of food. I'm starving!"

Gohan rolled his eyes, while Goku's friends all shared a laugh at Goku's usual plight. He felt like he was going to vomit from all of the sugary sweetness, so he opted to walk in the direction of the familiar Ki signal he picked up from inside of Capsule Corporation. As he walked, he tinkered with the scouter in his hand and placed it over his ear. He was giving the idea of finding some leftover from the Cold Empire and giving him a threatening message for laughs some serious thought. That was, until he saw a live link that was familiar to him, one that made him smirk.

"Recognize the voice, Arepa?"

_"Gohan, is that you?"_ asked a familiar voice from the scouter.

"So I see you're back to life. Couldn't wait to get away from Earth, I see," he snickered.

_"You're tellin' me! I got off of this mudball the second I woke back up. But I just wanted to say…thanks. For bringing me back to life."_

Gohan raised his eyebrow as if he was talking to her face to face. "If you bolted as soon as you were wished back, how could you possibly know that I wished you back?"

_"Okay, okay, so I _might_ have looked around for answers," _Arepa admitted. Gohan could practically hear the awkward grin in her voice. _"But as soon as I found out the scoop, I was outta there!"_

"Of course. Take it easy, Arepa," Gohan said.

_"I'll see ya around one of these days,"_ she replied. Gohan shut off the link and casually tossed the scouter away.

Gohan walked through the doorway of Capsule Corporation and, to his surprise, a certain Saiyan prince was sitting on the couch and…watching TV?

"And here I thought you'd be somewhere training," Gohan snidely remarked.

"Hn."

There was silence between the two for a few moments. Nothing much needed to be said, really. Gohan could tell just from reading Vegeta's face that he was aware of what went down. There was one issue he wanted to press him on, however.

"So what will you do now? You have no more opponents in the universe besides whatever outmatched idiot tries to rise from the ashes of Frieza and his clan. Didn't you want to take over?" Gohan asked.

"Feh, don't be ridiculous," Vegeta quickly dismissed, an angry glare making its way to his face. "I don't care about that shit anymore." What he wouldn't admit, of course, was why. Having been made aware of his own mortality had been a blow to arrogant prince's fiery pride. He felt like a disgrace, someone who let his people down and had to have a half-breed and his silly low-class father clean up his mess. He was a supposed thoroughbred Saiyan of the highest order who turned out to be nothing more than a disappointment. He didn't even think of himself as worthy of taking up that task unless he brought himself back to the top of the food chain.

Part of him would have been fine with staying dead.

Gohan nodded, somewhat unsurprised by Vegeta's answer. "Well if you're ever in the mood for a spar, you'll probably know where to find me." Gohan turned around to leave, but stopped when Vegeta grunted at him.

"Good job, brat."

Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at that.

* * *

><p>Goku was just about to walk into the Capsule Corp building to get himself some much needed food, but he, and everyone else for that matter, heard a car storming its way towards them. Goku turned around, figuring it could only be one person.<p>

"GOKU!"

From the car that just arrived on the scene was Chi-Chi. Bulma had already given her a heads up that Goku would be coming back, so of course, she hopped into her car in matter of seconds and probably broke a million traffic laws. The scatterbrained ex-martial artists charged towards her husband and would have tackled him if she didn't stop herself short.

"Oh, I just had to know you were back for my own two eyes!" she yelled, clinging to Goku like he was a magnet. That small lapse of sentimentality went away almost immediately, however. She let go of Goku, put her hands on her hips, and looked at Goku with te fiery eyes from hell that he was all too familiar with. "How many more times do you just plan on leaving on short notice, huh? You _can't_ keep going on these crazy trips in space all by yourself, y'know!"

Goku awkwardly laughed, knowing what was in store next. "Well, um, Chi-Chi, I wasn't exactly by myself."

"What do you mean?" Chi-Chi asked, giving Goku a sideways glance.

"Well, y'see, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for the last few days," Goku began, scratching the back of his wild hair. "I've known about it for the past year, but seeing as how I've been dead and all, I haven't really gotten the chance to talk about it, and…"

"What is it Goku, spea-"

In an instant, the only thing that could come out of Chi-Chi's mouth was a gasp, her words dying. She saw Goku's answer for herself, now rendered unable to even process what had been going on.

A few feet away from Goku stood a certain shaggy-haired boy. The silence had become the most apparent thing in the air now. While Goku and his friends just awkwardly looked around, anxious over what was going to happen next, two other specific people could only stand still, unable to form words.

A wave of emotions was sweeping its way through Gohan, who had just returned from the compound. The woman standing across from him…it had been ages since he'd last seen that face, but he knew who it was as easily as he did the back of his hand. He had no clue on what to do but stand, trying to get a hold of what was going on. He didn't realize it, but tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, dampening the vision in his eyes that was replacing the scene in front of him with memories.

"M-m…"

"Gohan…?" Chi-Chi finally asked, her voice shaky.

Not entirely aware of what she was doing, Chi-Chi stormed to Gohan and grabbed him like she had just rescued him from the monsters herself. She was sobbing uncontrollably, but they were cries of joy. Gohan was crying with her, welcoming her embrace. The angry, cold-hearted teenager that was forced to become an adult early in his life was nowhere to be found, and in his place was a boy who had been robbed of a childhood.

Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi, Yamcha, and especially Puar, found themselves getting more than a little choked up. Goku just looked at the ground and smiled, not particularly experienced (or educated) with this type of stuff.

"I…I can't believe it…my baby boy has come back to me!" Chi-Chi deliriously yelled. "I didn't know if you'd ever come back! Oh my…look at how much you've grown!"

Chi-Chi was grabbing his face harder than some of his enemies had. Gohan wiped his eyes, embarrassed by how easily he let himself get worked up. More embarrassingly, he had no problem with Chi-Chi smothering him like the most overbearing mother in the universe and beyond; he _welcomed_ it.

"Just one thing, though…do you have ANY idea how much work you have to catch up on?!"

Yup, that was it, alright. For the first time in a long time, Gohan felt like he was home again.

* * *

><p>Gohan yawned, setting his pencil down and closing the book laid out on his desk. The half-Saiyan wasn't exactly keen to the idea at first, but after a while, he found that reading through those textbooks and performing the exercises was perhaps the easiest way of reining himself in with the new life that had come to him.<p>

It was a day by day process, one that he was still having to walk along. It started with little things, like not blowing a hole through his wall when the boredom overwhelmed him, and obviously, just being able to walk around free of paranoia. Living with Bulma in Capsule Corporation for a year had already prepared himself for some of the baggage that came with living with a fiery woman like Chi-Chi. But the keyword was _some_. That meant doing things like talking to his mother with respect even when she started flying off the handle or getting overly emotional when she would have those moments where she realized that she wasn't dreaming and that her son really was back. Because, if he were being honest, she was sometimes even more frightening than Frieza when she got angry.

But he wasn't going to complain. Though Gohan had grown accustomed to a life where all that mattered was strength, he was never cut out to continue living the same way as a man like Vegeta did. This was what he needed instead, and it was infinitely more preferable to what he was doing for the last nine years of his life, even though the Saiyan blood in him occasionally grew sick of the humdrum lifestyle.

Gohan heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Chi-Chi said as she opened his door. "So I see you're already done with your school work. And you didn't sneak off to go train this time!"

Gohan grunted. Hey, he was still adjusting.

"Anyway, if you're going to be back on Earth full-time, you're going to have to learn a few things. Mainly, communication," Chi-Chi said.

"I already learned enough of that at…" Gohan began, though his voice trailed off. Chi-Chi's expression softened, and Gohan mentally kicked himself for bringing up what was still a sore subject in the household. "…forget it."

"Well, anyway," Chi-Chi awkwardly continued, wanting to get away from that subject as quickly as possible, "We're going to get you a cell phone."

"Does this mean having to go to the city?" Gohan asked, the annoyance in his voice obvious.

"That's generally what you have to do to go to the store, yes," Chi-Chi dryly replied. "It will be helpful for you and will make communicating_ a lot_ more convenient."

"Okay, fine," Gohan conceded with a sigh.

Gohan followed his mother out of the house. As Chi-Chi got in her car, Gohan walked past her and lasted himself off into the air. He didn't get very high up, however, before Chi-Chi yelled out his name.

"What?" Gohan asked.

"We're not flying, silly! You don't even know where the store's at, for God's sake," Chi-Chi said with a playful smile. Gohan rolled his eyes and flew back down, walking in the car with silence. "There, much better." Gohan watched as Chi-Chi placed the key in the ignition and put her foot on the gas pedal to start the car. Flying to planets was one thing, considering the fact that he was traveling through space while working for Frieza, but Gohan couldn't understand for the life of him why humans were so lazy that they had these vehicles drive them around the planet. No wonder this was nothing more than a frontier planet that even the infant version of his father was deemed sufficient to destroy – these morons were a bunch of slackers.

A few minutes later, Chi-Chi stopped her car in the parking lot. Gohan looked out the window and read the sign on the building they stopped in front of. "Orange Star City Mall," it read. Gohan sighed. It seemed like everything in the world revolved around either this place or West City where Bulma lived. As he and Chi-Chi walked inside, Gohan found himself silently observing his surroundings; old habits die hard. He was studying random activities, though he soured on it when he realized that these humans were doing nothing of substance. It was just hundreds of people wandering from store to store, checking out items. There was the occasional dumbass kid doing something annoying, which was at least somewhat humorous, but for the most part it was pretty mundane.

They walked into a tech store, which Gohan had to admit was giving him feelings of déjà vu. This place was more up his alley, filled with gadgets that, while paling in comparison to the advanced technology from Frieza's bases or even at Capsule Corporation, were at least intriguing to his eye. While Chi-Chi was off looking for a good phone, Gohan looked around at some of the other things. There were computers, communication devices that somewhat resembled scouters (wouldn't have surprised him if Bulma was working on some sort of patent to replicate tem).

A few minutes later, Chi-Chi returned, holding a phone. It was a small, tablet-like device. "This is pretty simple to get the hang of, Gohan. I already have the number set up for you."

Chi-Chi handed him the phone and paper with the number written on it before wandering off, probably to search for purses or some nonsense. All Gohan had to do was read the paper to have it committed to memory, though it wasn't of particular importance to him. He toyed with the phone a little bit, testing out the touch screen features. This had nothing on the hologram stuff he regularly used in his time in space, but it was pretty neat nonetheless.

"Jeez, we sure have a knack for running into each other."

Gohan looked up, and was almost unable to hide his irritation when he saw a familiar face in front of him – Videl, the girl he'd saved from Zarbon.

"Hn."

"Man of few words, I see," she quipped. "So what brings you here? I figured a guy like you would probably be busy fighting monsters to just hang around at the mall."

"Whatever," Gohan grumbled. "My mother insisted on me getting a phone."

"Oh, really? It looks pretty neat," Videl remarked. She and Gohan exchanged a glance before standing in awkward silence for a few moments. "So…what's the number?"

"And you want to know…why?" Gohan suspiciously asked.

"Well jeez, excuse me for being curious about the guy who saved my life," Videl said, growing annoyed with Gohan's attitude. "I mean, it'd be one thing if you were some hulking musclehead, but you're pretty nice on the eyes. Cool hair, too."

Gohan's cheeks flushed bright red. This was turning out weirder than he'd ever expected. "Well…I don't know the number," he fibbed.

"Oh c'mon, how gullible do you think I am? You literally just got the phone and you don't know the number?"

"Fine! Here," Gohan relented, handing her the paper with his number on it. Anything to keep her from bugging him, he reasoned to himself.

"I never did get your name, either," Videl said. She gave Gohan an expectant look, unaware of Gohan's lack of experience in human interactions.

"…Son Gohan."

"Gohan, eh? Well maybe if you learn to talk beyond a few words, you can call me one of these days. We can get to know each other a little bit," she said with a wink before walking out of the story. Gohan found himself blushing again. What the fuck was _that_ supposed to mean?!

As if this couldn't get any more bizarre Chi-Chi had returned, having caught the last few bits of that exchange between Gohan and Videl. "And just who was that?"

"Um…just some girl," Gohan quickly replied, his face growing redder by the second. He wanted to do away with this stupid subject entirely. "I met her before and she asked for my number. That's all."

"Oh, this is just delightful! If you play your cards right, you might get yourself a catch; that girl looked pretty. And maybe, you'll be able to bring me…" Chi-Chi clenched her hands together and longingly looked up to the sky, "~GRANDCHILDREN!~"

"..._What?!"_ Gohan exclaimed. Okay, so maybe this whole Earth thing was going to be tougher than he thought.

**The End**

**Aaaaand that's it! I'd like to thank all of my readers for taking the time out of your days to read my work; I appreciate it. And sorry for having put up with my erratic updating near the end. This just became a bit more difficult for me to write I guess, and I've just been plain busy. I doubt there's going to be a sequel, and to be frank, writing serious stuff gets plain draining after a while. I'm thinking of re-writing my old fic, Dragon Ball NG, because that's more of what I'm well-versed at – comedy. Again, thank you all. Its been a long ride, but we're finally at the finish line!**H


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